to be read... comments later!

I have recently finished this for my book group and enjoyed it a lot. THe most compelling aspects were the human interest stories attached to some of the girls who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in 1911... Von Drehle was able to bring them back to life long enough for me to get attached to them, as apparently little has ever been done to do so. I was particularly impressed by the five page clear and simple layout of the terrible pogroms in Belarusse (around Bialystok and Odessa) which precipitated much of the wave of immigration by Russian Jews at the turn of the century, including most of those working in the garment industry in NYC at that time. I did get somewhat bogged down with the mass of political figures and how they played out over the decades surrounding this event. It was more choppy to read and very hard to figure out who was who beyond the most common names. However, I was able to follow well enough to understand that this fire was a catalyst for a huge shift in political perspective that changed forever the vision of Tammany Hall leaders (and led to their dissolution, eventually) and the rise of the Democratic liberal left. I am now sending this off as a RABCK to daidy in Kansas City.

Thank you! I've had this on my wish list for some time now. Looking forward to reading it.

This book encompassed a lot more than I expected it to. I have given this book to a co-worker.