Uprising [Hardcover]

Margaret Peterson Haddix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2007

Around her the workers were screaming out prayers and curses.... She herself was sobbing tearlessly.... Her only prayer was still, "I don't want to die."

Oh, please, God, don't let me die, she thought. I've never even had a chance to live.

Bella, newly arrived in New York from Italy, gets a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. There, along with hundreds of other immigrants, she works long hours at a grueling job under terrible conditions. Yetta, a coworker from Russia, has been crusading for a union, and when factory conditions worsen, she helps workers rise up in a strike. Wealthy Jane learns of the plight of the workers and becomes involved with their cause.

Bella and Yetta are at work -- and Jane is visiting the factory -- on March 25, 1911, when a spark ignites some cloth and the building is engulfed in fire, leading to one of the worst workplace disasters ever.

Margaret Peterson Haddix draws on extensive historical research to bring the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to tangible life through her thrilling story of Bella, Yetta, and Jane.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—This deftly crafted historical novel unfolds dramatically with an absorbing story and well-drawn characters who readily evoke empathy and compassion. Haddix has masterfully melded in-depth information about the history of immigration, the struggle for women's rights, the beginnings of the organized labor movement, and the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 within a narrative that will simultaneously engross and educate its readers. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Bella, an Italian immigrant teen; Yetta, a Russian Jewish immigrant; and Jane, the daughter of an upper-class American businessman. Yetta is opinionated and aware of how immigrants, especially women, are mistreated. She is outspoken and ready to work toward improving conditions. Bella is a new immigrant and easily taken advantage of. She only wants to earn money to send home so the rest of her family can join her in America. Though wealthy, Jane is influenced by college girls who are starting to work for women's rights. The three girls meet during the strike at the Triangle factory. Jane bravely leaves home when she learns that her father was involved in trying to break the strike. This absorbing and informative read is a wonderful companion to Mary Jane Auch's Ashes of Roses (Holt, 2002).—Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
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Review

“Haddix is a masterful storyteller and succeeds in putting a human face on a historical tragedy. Recommended.”—Library Media Connection

“A compelling message about labor, sacrifice, and the price of freedom in America.”—Publishers Weekly

“Will keep readers turning the pages. An excellent author’s note provides additional historical information.”—Booklist

“This deftly crafted historical novel unfolds dramatically with an absorbing story and well-drawn characters who readily evoke empathy and compassion.”—School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416911715
• ISBN-13: 978-1416911715
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on a farm outside Washington Court House, Ohio. As a kid, I liked to read a lot, and was also involved in 4-H, various bands and choirs (I played flute and piano), church youth group, the school newspaper, and a quiz-bowl type team. I was pretty disastrous as an athlete, although I did run track one year in high school. After graduating from Miami University (of Ohio), I worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a part-time community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois, before my first book was published. I've moved around a lot as an adult, having also lived in Luxembourg (during a college semester abroad) and in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Several years ago, I moved back to Ohio with my husband and kids; we now live in Columbus, Ohio. My husband trains investigative journalists, and my kids are in high school, so there's always a lot going on around our house.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IN THE FACE OF DISASTER, March 2, 2008

By 

Red Rock Bookworm (St. George Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Uprising (Hardcover)

Written for a teen-aged audience, Uprising by Margaret Haddix is an historically accurate and informative book that adults too will find captivating.

Set in 1910-11 New York City it tells the story of three girls from various social strata's who are brought together by an unusual set of circumstances. Chapters alternate between each of the girls and the reader gains an understanding of the plight of factory workers subjected to low wages and unsafe working conditions from the individual perspectives of each of the narrators.

In this eye-opening saga based on real events the workers organize and strike for better pay and safer working conditions at the Triangle Shirt Factory, but it is only a disasterous fire at the factory that costs the lives of hundreds of people that ultimately brings changes to the American labor movement and gives birth to organized unions.

History coupled with tales of friendship, loyalty and love brings humanity and reality to the story of Bella, Yetta and Jane and provides an understanding of what it took to survive in the sweat shops of the early 1900's.

This masterfully crafted presentation of one of the worst workplace disasters in our history should be on everyones "must read" list.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Finest Historical Novels For Teens EVER, January 19, 2008

By 

Patricia D. Wigington (Columbus OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uprising (Hardcover)

I've always enjoyed Margaret Peterson Haddix's work, and when I saw that she was tackling the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, I suspected she might be up to the challenge. I was correct -- Haddix deftly weaves the story of three girls of very different backgrounds, who all share the common thread of the Triangle factory.

Bella is a poor girl from Italy, who speaks no English and is at the mercy of the "padrones" and others who would take advantage of her. Yetta fled the Russian shtetls, escaping before she was killed in one of the violent pogroms. Jane is from a life of wealth and privilege, and finds herself involved with the other two girls simply because she's tired of being ornamental and useless.

The three come together in the New York City of 1910, and their story unfolds against the backdrop of the industrial revolution. Women's suffrage, immigrants' rights, and union rebellion are their New York, and when fire erupts in an unsafe building, tragedy ensues. Through it all, Haddix has you feeling the desperation of these girls, involved in a disaster that changed the face of American industry. The last four chapters in particular are heartbreakingly beautiful, and by the time you finish the book you'll have a whole new appreciation for the nameless and faceless girls who helped form our nation a hundred years ago.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down!!!!, March 3, 2008

By 

M. Colvin "eduka2b" (SEK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uprising (Hardcover)

I found this book when looking through the new books on the library shelf. I am a history buff, so when the cover said it was about an event that changed US history, I thought, why not! I started it and couldn't put it down. I read it straight through and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!! I came to school the next day telling my partner teacher about the book and how I hadn't even heard of the event before. She said that she hadn't either until a few years ago she read an amazing book titled Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch on the same subject. So, needless to say we swapped books!

Haddix does a wonderful job of taking you into the lives and times of three girls (fictional) involved in the fire. She does a wonderful job of bringing in history, and making you want to research and know more after the book is over. She brings in so much of the history surrounding this incident also, including the union strike, and the women suffragist movement. Truly a captivating book!