Joan's Reviews > Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909

This is a brief look at the history of Clara Lemlich, one of the earliest and most successful union workers back when there were no rights for workers. There is a fascinating chart on the back showing how many CENTS per hour these workers, some as young as 12, were making to get their total of a stunning six dollars per day employment. Yes, Six dollars per DAY. I rather wished that it had been cataloged under biography but I can see why the economic Dewey number was used. Hopefully some children will find it and realize how much unions have given American middle class, what is left of it, their relatively rich, safe, lifestyle. Take a look at the New York buildings shown on the page where workers start pouring out of the buildings. That sort of work is why Sweet won the Caldecott. There is a brief description of the work conditions of the garment workers that may make some kids think twice about the "uselessness" of unions.While I can't find anything to point to for not giving it five stars, it just wasn't memorable enough for me to do that. It might be my mood. I am rather critical of the afterword that mentions the Triangle Factory disaster but doesn't explain how it is that a presumably successful strike did not include major factories like this in the agreement. I'll try to remember to revisit this in a while and see what I think then. One thing this book does do well, is give kids a biography of someone they almost certainly have never heard of.