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Title: Triangle: The Fire That Changed America
ISBN: 080214151X
Author:
David von Drehle
Publicate Date: 2004-08-16
Publish: 2004-08-16
List Price: $15.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $4.95
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $2.70
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.20
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| Customer Review: |
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1: All the Angles
Had heard of the "Triangle Fire" all my life and knew basically what it was about - that poor immigrants were working to make shirts in building in New York which caught fire and many of them died - David Von Drehle gives us every angle of what caused the fire as well as the social and political problems of the era. The issues of women's suffrage and the unions added much to round out just what was going on in the early 1900's in America and how the tragic fire may at least contributed to some changes. The story was interesting and well-developed although in some spots a little tedious as the author tended to tell the same things several times, such as the placement of the tables in the rooms that burned. After a while I think I had a pretty good picture of the scene after the first couple of times. The book reminds us once again that greed is often the fuel that runs the world.
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2: Powerful book about an American tragedy
This book that chronicles the famous 1911 factory fire does a wonderful job of not only layering the reasons for the climate that allowed the fire to happen to build a powerful foundation, but also gives a terrific view of turn of the century New York City. Various forces such as the Gibson Girl, Russian progroms, Tammany Hall, and an eruption of Mt Vesuvius all brought the right conditions into play. Shirtwaists, what we would now call a woman's blouse, were popularized by Charles Dana Gibson in his Gibson Girl, and were actually a burgeoning start to the feminist movement allowing for more freedom in dress and from corsets. The industry quickly produced sweatshops and horrific conditions for workers who were pouring in from Eastern Europe and desperate for a job. Max Blanck and Isaac Harris worked their way up from poverty, but then turned their backs on workers treating them as possible theives and trying to squeeze every ounce of work out for the least possible amount of pay. The owners kept a vital door locked to prevent the workers from stealing clothing (an average of $25 a year went missing), and that in turn caused the greatest loss of life, 146 workers, in a US workplace until 9/11. Von Drehle does a terrific job of showing how this tragedy came about and the repercussions that came after it. It's a tragic part of American history that shouldn't be forgotten.
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3: A thorough and fascinating look into an American tragedy
An avid reader of historical fiction and nonfiction, I found "Triangle" an engrossing read. The author skillfully combines facts about the tragic day of the fire itself, along with personal narratives about the individuals involved and background information about early twentieth-century immigrant and factory life in New York City.
Von Drehle manages to achieve the perfect blend, neither bogging his writing down with dry facts nor an overwhelming of emotion about the terrible loss of young life. Instead, he seems to know just how much to offer in order to provide readers with a unique insight into one of the worst workplace tragedies in U.S. history.
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4: Well written and well researched
Author David Von Drehle approached this book from an interesting perspective, by analyzing the impact the fire had on the New York Political Machine at the time, Tammany Hall. I had heard about the fire from high school history class but knew very little about the machine politics that dominated 19th and early 20th century America. At the beginning of the book, the Beating of Clara Lemlich, Tammany supports the factory owners by endorsing and even taking part in such strong arm anti-union tactics as the beating of Clara Lemlich. By the end of the book, Reform, Tammany is supporting the progressive legislation that makes factories safer for it's workers. The fact that it took 90 years for New York to suffer a workplace tragedy greater than the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is testament that the victims did not die in vain.
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5: yesterday's fire is more than yesterday's news
Investgative reporting of an American inferno a century ago makes 'The Triangle Fire' come alive as an American tragedy every bit as haunting as 9-11 ... with equally powerful historical impact. Instead of conspiracy theories or spin, Von Drehle concentrates on human lives and human indifference to show how the worker's/voting rights and feminist movements all stem from this one event. Only a journalist could have produced a book of history that appeals to anyone who enjoys a good story. The author's passion for his subject comes through on every page. While this incident has been portrayed on various theatre stages, no play compares with the movie in your mind's eye which the author's skill directs.
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