Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter for Workers' Rights (Lerner Biographies) [Hardcover]

Judith Pinkerton Josephson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Lerner Biographies

A biography of Mary Harris Jones, the union organizer who worked tirelessly for the rights of workers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up. An account of the life and work of the outspoken labor organizer and reformer loaded with her own fiery words and indomitable spirit.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-10. Like Betsy Harvey Kraft's Mother Jones (1995) and Susan Bartoletti's Growing Up in Coal Country (1996), this account of the noted labor leader is also a social history of American workers' struggle for safety, shorter hours, and the end of child labor. Readers will be caught by the fierce personality of this brave woman, so ahead of her time, who dared to stand up to presidents and financiers for the rights of ordinary people. It's a story of amazing courage and determination; it's also about failure, again and again, as strikes failed, workers died, and conditions seemed never to improve. Compelling black-and-white photos throughout show the gray-haired lady--whose demure appearance belied her determination--marching with miners, railroad workers, and women and children. Josephson draws a lot on Mother Jones' candid autobiography, as well as on accounts by labor historians, and the quotes are unobtrusively documented at the back of the book. Bibliography. Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publications (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822549247
• ISBN-13: 978-0822549246
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a full-time writer of books and stories for children. I've written biographies on diverse people, books on childhood history (the Our America series), nonfiction picture books, and as a co-author, two humorous grammar guides and a picture book nominated for the 2009-2010 California Young Reader medal, Armando and the Blue Tarp School. In my free time, I enjoy playing my violin, reading, swimming, walking, and spending time with my family. For more about me, visit www.judithjosephson.com, www.grammarpatrol.com, and www.bluetarpschool.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, January 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter for Workers' Rights (Lerner Biographies) (Hardcover)

I read this book 2 chapters per night with my children, and they loved it! I did have to skip over the part that talks about the loss of her family because they would not have stuck with it after such horrible events. The stories about the children coal miners, factory workers and families affected during the labor struggles of the late 1800s and early 1900s are stories that children need to hear about to inspire them to continue this work. They were particularly moved by the chapter "The March of the Mill Children." It may not have been necessary to detail so many different campaigns when children were the target audience, but my kids were attentive and interested nonetheless.