A review by librariandest
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin

4.0

I don't know what to say about this, except I wasn't very impressed by it and I don't understand why it's on the shortlist for the National Book Award. I did learn a lot from it, but I didn't find the writing especially compelling. I also thought the title was misleading, as this isn't a book about the Triangle Fire so much as a book about immigration, labor rights, workplace safety, and the garment industry. I realize that those issues surround the Triangle Fire and it's necessary to talk about them when you talk about the Triangle Fire, but so few pages were spent on the actual Fire--that's why I call the title misleading.

I think my expectations were too high going into this. I expected something on par with [b:They Called Themselves the KKK] (which was truly brilliant) and instead got what I'd call a better-than-average non-fiction book for young people.

So if you're studying how industry, unions, and workers' rights evolved in the United States, this would be a great book to pick up. If you just want to read really great non-fiction, I'd look elsewhere.