It is the peak of immigration in New York City, at the dawn of the twentieth century. Shouts in dozens of languages whoop through the air and smells from every dish imaginable waft through the streets of the Lower East Side. Tenements, rickety but home, climb the sky, fire escapes snaking down. The streets are crowded with pushcarts and calls. Thus is the setting for The Uprising, by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Bella is a young immigrant girl, fresh from Italy and weighted with the daunting task of providing for her family overseas. She is lucky to find a job, though the hours spent hunched over a sewing machine in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory are not quite what she expected.
Yetta has worked at Triangle for months. She lives with her equally rebellious elder sister, and, like Bella, sends most of her earnings home to her family in Russia. She is lively with life and pulsing with her want to change the world, to mean something, to matter. She wants women’s rights and safer conditions at work, shorter hours and higher wages. She is determined and fiery, willing to stand for months in the blistering heat and shivering cold, holding a picket sign and striking for union recognition in factories. Yetta is spirited and intense, gladly giving every bit of herself to her cause.
Jane, lastly, is a society girl with an intellectual spark. She is curious and compassionate, spending time with strikers and at rallies for no gain of her own, and finds herself swept up into this passionate world of striking and working and wanting and hoping. There is more to feel, she finds, outside of her ignorant, sheltered life. And these ardent factory girls so desperate for their cause accept her and love her—she finds a place with them that she cannot find at home.
Uprising is the story of these three girls. It is inspiring and adrenalizing (if that was not previously a word, I now deem it one), making me want to jump up and devote myself to a cause with all of my everything. On the other hand, the book does such a good job of enticing the readers into the world it creates, that it runs the risk of romanticizing poverty to some extent.
However, all in all, I love the way the book was crafted. The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory looms ahead for the entire novel. Right from the first chapter, we learn that two of the three best friends will die in the fire, though we do not know which ones they will be. This sets up an interesting dynamic--as I would read and get to know each character better, I would start to root for her to survive, before realizing, dismayed, that the other two would have to perish. It gave the book momentum and a reason for me to keep reading at the few moments the plot lagged.
Furthermore, the author was very skilled at weaving fiction and fact together, creating a story that haunts and perplexes, makes you think about the world and what you can do to change it, but also makes you care deeply for the three main characters. She succeeded in bringing life to a tragedy that occurred almost a hundred years ago. In making us care not only for the girls who died, but for the factory owners and the workers who survived as well. In painting a horrifying picture of flame and sky and the impossible choice—to jump or to burn? In making readers understand that if we want change to we have to fight for it, as the shirtwaist girls did in their months-long strike. The author wrote the story to make us u
new posts in all blogs
By: Briar K.,
on 12/3/2009
Blog: 3 Evil Cousins (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 1911, girls, immigration, fire, strike, union, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Uprising, factory, Briar, Add a tag
Uprising is told through the eyes of three main characters, Yetta, an outspoken Russian Jewish immigrant, Bella, a young Italian immigrant, having just arrived in America, and Jane, a rich, spoiled American girl, considered of marrying age, yet still living under the watchful eye of her nanny. All three girls become intertwined though the novel, through the famous Triangle Factory strike, poverty, running away from family, and eventually the horrid fire that ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, leaving many dead due to poor and hazardous conditions within the factory itself.
Though very historically accurate and throughly explained, this book just lacked the spark (no pun intended) that all of Haddix's books contain. It was a little long in the sense that the strike took up 90% of the plot and the fire and aftermath only were described at the very end of the book. I was hoping for a little more on what the fallout was afterwards. The content was a little above middle grade level, which I do believe it is aimed towards, and though I'm sure middle grader's could read it, I think the story may do better with young adults.
I certainly still enjoyed the novel and will always look forward to reading books by Haddix. I may not have liked this one quite as much as her others simply because it was so different. Everyone needs variety though, even me!
By: Rebecca,
on 6/22/2007
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Blogs, oxford, park, A-Featured, Leisure, softball, blues, central, Add a tag
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Uprising, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 4 of 4
By: Briar K.,
on 12/3/2009
Blog: 3 Evil Cousins (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 1911, girls, immigration, fire, strike, union, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Uprising, factory, Briar, Add a tag
2 Comments on Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix, last added: 12/7/2009
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: Emily,
on 2/5/2009
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: mystery, historical, teen, realistic fiction, Uprising, review by Lina, Add a tag
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: mystery, historical, teen, realistic fiction, Uprising, review by Lina, Add a tag
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Uprising. Simon and Schuster, 2007. 346 pp. Historical fiction.
Review by Lina
On March 25, 1911, a devastating fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City left 146 people dead, the majority of them young immigrant girls who were employed at the factory. In the years immediately preceding the fire, Triangle had been embroiled in a labor dispute that sent many of its workers out on strike in an attempt to unionize the shop. Among the strikers’ concerns were low wages, long hours, poor working conditions, and safety issues. Although Triangle and other companies eventually settled, violations continued. The fire encompassed three floors of the building and left many people trapped when stairwell doors were locked (the company’s way to ensure workers did not leave early) and the one fire escape proved to be defective. The tragedy of the Triangle fire lead to new safety regulations and enforcement of those regulations.
Uprising tells the story of two immigrant girls, Bella and Yetta, who worked at the factory and their friend Jane. Yetta, who came to New York from Russia with the plan to make enough money to send for her parents, is determined to improve working conditions at all costs, even her own happiness. She steadfastly pickets during the strike and is unhappy when the union settles for less than she wants. Able to see the whole picture, Yetta is also concerned about women’s rights and suffrage. She worries about safety conditions at Triangle. Bella, a poor girl from Italy who comes to the United States determined to send money home to support her widowed mother and younger siblings, is at a disadvantage not knowing English and being ignorant of the issues at hand. But she learns quickly and picks herself up following a family tragedy, determined to make a brighter future for herself. Jane is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, a socialite who yearns to go to college and do something important with her life. She leaves home to work as a governess and live in a tenement rather than be supported by her father’s money, money that she considers to be tainted and evil when she learns that in the past he had hired strikebreakers.
Uprising does a good job of telling the story of the famous Triangle fire as well as showing the working and social conditions prevalent at the time. Readers, particularly young readers, will find it hard to imagine living in the way that the girls did and not only surviving but thriving. Readers will assume they know which of the girls is the mysterious “Mrs. Livingston” first introduced in the beginning of the book but will be surprised when they learn her true identity. Recommended for age 12 and up.
On March 25, 1911, a devastating fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City left 146 people dead, the majority of them young immigrant girls who were employed at the factory. In the years immediately preceding the fire, Triangle had been embroiled in a labor dispute that sent many of its workers out on strike in an attempt to unionize the shop. Among the strikers’ concerns were low wages, long hours, poor working conditions, and safety issues. Although Triangle and other companies eventually settled, violations continued. The fire encompassed three floors of the building and left many people trapped when stairwell doors were locked (the company’s way to ensure workers did not leave early) and the one fire escape proved to be defective. The tragedy of the Triangle fire lead to new safety regulations and enforcement of those regulations.
Uprising tells the story of two immigrant girls, Bella and Yetta, who worked at the factory and their friend Jane. Yetta, who came to New York from Russia with the plan to make enough money to send for her parents, is determined to improve working conditions at all costs, even her own happiness. She steadfastly pickets during the strike and is unhappy when the union settles for less than she wants. Able to see the whole picture, Yetta is also concerned about women’s rights and suffrage. She worries about safety conditions at Triangle. Bella, a poor girl from Italy who comes to the United States determined to send money home to support her widowed mother and younger siblings, is at a disadvantage not knowing English and being ignorant of the issues at hand. But she learns quickly and picks herself up following a family tragedy, determined to make a brighter future for herself. Jane is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, a socialite who yearns to go to college and do something important with her life. She leaves home to work as a governess and live in a tenement rather than be supported by her father’s money, money that she considers to be tainted and evil when she learns that in the past he had hired strikebreakers.
Uprising does a good job of telling the story of the famous Triangle fire as well as showing the working and social conditions prevalent at the time. Readers, particularly young readers, will find it hard to imagine living in the way that the girls did and not only surviving but thriving. Readers will assume they know which of the girls is the mysterious “Mrs. Livingston” first introduced in the beginning of the book but will be surprised when they learn her true identity. Recommended for age 12 and up.
0 Comments on Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: Emily,
on 2/25/2008
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: teen, Margaret Peterson Haddix, historical, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Uprising, review by Amanda Snow, Uprising, review by Amanda Snow, Add a tag
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: teen, Margaret Peterson Haddix, historical, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Uprising, review by Amanda Snow, Uprising, review by Amanda Snow, Add a tag
Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Review by Amanda Snow
A Patchworks of Books
As one of my favorite thrill-evoking authors, Margaret Peterson Haddix has swayed from her norm in this novel, based upon the horrible Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy in the early 1900's. I was instantly intrigued at the topic, especially with Haddix being the author, however I think in the end I was left just a little disappointed.
As one of my favorite thrill-evoking authors, Margaret Peterson Haddix has swayed from her norm in this novel, based upon the horrible Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy in the early 1900's. I was instantly intrigued at the topic, especially with Haddix being the author, however I think in the end I was left just a little disappointed.
Uprising is told through the eyes of three main characters, Yetta, an outspoken Russian Jewish immigrant, Bella, a young Italian immigrant, having just arrived in America, and Jane, a rich, spoiled American girl, considered of marrying age, yet still living under the watchful eye of her nanny. All three girls become intertwined though the novel, through the famous Triangle Factory strike, poverty, running away from family, and eventually the horrid fire that ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, leaving many dead due to poor and hazardous conditions within the factory itself.
Though very historically accurate and throughly explained, this book just lacked the spark (no pun intended) that all of Haddix's books contain. It was a little long in the sense that the strike took up 90% of the plot and the fire and aftermath only were described at the very end of the book. I was hoping for a little more on what the fallout was afterwards. The content was a little above middle grade level, which I do believe it is aimed towards, and though I'm sure middle grader's could read it, I think the story may do better with young adults.
I certainly still enjoyed the novel and will always look forward to reading books by Haddix. I may not have liked this one quite as much as her others simply because it was so different. Everyone needs variety though, even me!
0 Comments on Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: Rebecca,
on 6/22/2007
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Blogs, oxford, park, A-Featured, Leisure, softball, blues, central, Add a tag
Rebecca OUP-US
Perhaps it is a NYC phenomenon but in the spring and early summer office softball teams are all the rage. Not being athletically inclined I asked Dan Ozzi to give us a little insight about the OUP team, The Oxford Blues.
The Oxford Blues softball team plays a dozen games each season. Not every game is on the nicest fields in New York. Sometimes we play on blacktop courts with kids playing basketball around us in left field. Last week, we played directly underneath the Queensboro Bridge on a clay field which greatly resembled a prison yard. I am pretty sure I saw a finger sticking out of the ground in left field.
0 Comments on Oxford Blues as of 1/1/1990
Add a Comment
This book reminds me of "Ashes of Roses" which I thought was great.
鴛鴦吧成人,免費視訊,交友戀愛小站,尼克成人,383成人,成人漫畫,八國聯軍成人,正妹視訊,一葉晴貼圖片區,免費交友,080視訊聊天室,成人圖片,a片貼圖,080視訊聊天室,豆豆聊天室13 15歲,情色貼圖,色聊天室,情色貼圖,免費視訊,情色漫畫,哈啦聊天室,丁字褲美女影片,正妹計時器,666成人光,成人視訊,104 貼圖區,85cc成人片觀看,視訊,視訊做愛,0204貼圖區,嘟嘟成人網,正妹相簿,只有貼圖片區,正妹桌面,38ga成人,正妹空姐寫真,美女交友,ccn正妹牆,正妹找樂子,台灣美女寫真貼圖區,