Flesh & Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin

I first head about Flesh and Blood So Cheap at a school training. The keynote speaker mentioned it as a high-interest nonfiction choice for young adults and used some of the pictures from it in her presentation. I'm always looking for interesting informational texts to use in my classroom, so I ordered it right away. I ended up setting it to the side and forgetting about it as I got busy with other projects. Since I'm making an effort to read all of my nonfiction books this year, I dusted it off and finally gave it a shot this month.

Flesh and Blood So Cheap is the story of the infamous Triangle Factory fire that killed 146 people in 1911. It was one of the most lethal workplace fires in American history until September 11th, yet not many people know much about it. Albert Marrin brings the disaster back to life in this novel, and presents it as more than just an accident. He places it into a larger narrative of immigration, poverty, workplace abuses, and safety reforms that give the reader a more nuanced understanding of the event. This is not a story about a random tragedy--it is a story about an appalling outcome of an abusive and corrupt factory system. It is also the story of how one terrible event provided the catalyst for much needed change and regulation in American industry. 

Marrin opens the text with an explanation of immigration patterns in the United States during the 1900s. Since most of the workers that perished in the Triangle fire were Jewish and Italian immigrants, he pays special attention to describing the reasons that those groups were arriving in America in droves during that time period. He continues on to explain how many of these new workers found jobs in the garment district in New York. The jobs (most of which were held by women) involved long hours of sewing, cutting, or transporting garments with very few breaks and very little pay. Workers were forced into overcrowded factory spaces with inadequate safety measures in place to protect them in case of an accident. Workers united behind unions to strike, and met with only partial success in changing workplace practices.

Eventually, the unsafe working conditions culminated in the Triangle Factory fire.  Marrin explains how a stray cigarette ignited a pile of fabric remnants and quickly spread around the 10th story work space. Terrified workers were unable to extinguish the flames due to the emergency water supply being disconnected. Panicking, people then rushed for the emergency exits only to find some doors locked, other doors blocked, and the fire escapes unusable. Many, seeing no other choice, jumped out of windows to their deaths. Others burned alive in the building. Firemen arrived on the scene within minutes, but their ladders were too short to reach the affected floors. Eventually the fire was contained, but many lost their lives.

The closing chapters of the text describe the legacy that the fire left behind. In the aftermath of the disaster, several leaders began to emerge demanding safety reforms in the workplace. Many of these leaders were women, who began taking on larger roles in the government for the first time. Marrin describes that through their tireless efforts, many new regulations to improve workplaces were created. Little things that we now see as commonplace, like lighted exit signs, working fire escapes, regular fire drills, and automatic sprinklers came into being, saving innumerable future lives. While the Triangle fire was a terrible chapter in American history, it was a force for necessary changes in the workplace.

Marrin's style is striking in its simplicity. He is clear and frank with details, and doesn't sugarcoat the facts. At the same time, however, his writing is always appropriate and accessible to a young adult audience. Accompanying the text are numerous pictures of the relevant people and places from the event, which serve to pull the reader further into the text and lend a deeper sense of gravity to the story. It was nice to be able to match faces and buildings to the names Marrin gives. This was a relatively quick read too, another factor that will attract younger readers. Adults might appreciate a more complex analysis of this event, but this novel is a perfect match with its target audience.

Aside from facts, the novel gives readers a lot to think about as well. Many questions of ethics and morals are raised in its pages--perhaps none as thought provoking as what Marrin explores in the novel's final chapter. He describes how, over time, memories fade and history tends to repeat itself. One only has to look to sweatshops operating overseas to see a shockingly similar pattern of abuses and safety violations to what we had in America before the fire. Different disasters are happening now across the world from us. He warns that constant vigilance is the key to preventing more workplace tragedies. It's a heavy subject to think about, but it's one well worth bringing to the minds of young readers. After all, they will go on to become our leaders one day.

Overall, I enjoyed Flesh and Blood So Cheap. It is an interesting and engaging examination of an often overlooked historical event. Enough background details are given to place the Triangle Factory fire in its proper context without being overwhelming or dry, and the description of the legacy that the fire left behind is inspiring to read. I learned a lot from this novel, and I can see my students learning a lot from it as well. That keynote speaker I enjoyed a few years ago was correct in offering this up as an example of an excellent informational text for use in the classroom. I will be donating my copy to my classroom library in the hopes that one of my kids will pick it up and fall into it the way I did.


Challenge Tally:
True Books 2018: 3/18 + 2 bonus books
Clear the Shelves 2018: 4 books donated

Total Books Read in 2018: 10