This young adult novel is a perfect example of why I love historical fiction. I had never heard of the Triangle Factory Fire of 1911 until I happened upon this book at the library, but now I know about it and appreciate the events that led up to the tragedy and the reforms in factory conditions that it brought about. The book, while fiction, has been carefully researched by the author and tells the story of the immigrant workers in a way that is poignant and accessible to the reader.
We begin the story with Rose Nolan, a sixteen-year-old girl from Ireland who is crossing to America with her family. They are looking forward to a whole new life, with opportunities around every corner. Yet when they reach Ellis Island, things take a turn for the worse. The immigration officials are under orders to inspect each and every person from the boat, and while performing a routine eye exam in Rose’s baby brother, they discover that he has trachoma, an infection that was commonly contracted on the boats. He is not allowed to enter the United States and must return to Ireland immediately. Rose’s father takes him and boards the next ship, vowing that he’ll save enough money to come back when the baby’s eyes are well.
Rose’s mother is completely shaken by this. She is now alone in a strange country with three daughters to care for. Gathering her courage, she takes the girls to the home of a nearby relative, only to find that the letter they sent to tell of their arrival didn’t come, and they aren’t expected or welcome.
It’s not long before she decides to go back to Ireland to be with her husband and baby. But Rose refuses to go. She wants to be an American girl, and she’s just sure she can find a job and fend for herself. After all, as soon as they save enough money, her parents will come back and they’ll be reunited.
Her mother reluctantly allows her to stay, but then Maureen, her twelve-year-old sister, demands to stay too. Mrs. Nolan is at her wits’ end, and gives in. She’s sure the girls will come to ruin, but they won’t listen to reason, and she allows them to make their own way.
Rose finds them an apartment and even a job, sewing in a factory that makes shirtwaists for women. She loves her job and the freedom it gives her. She sees a movie for the first time, is able to pay her rent, and feels as though she’s making progress in the new land. But one afternoon, a fire breaks out in the factory, and the ladders from the fire trucks aren’t long enough to reach the 9th floor, where the flames are. The doors have been locked – the owners routinely sealed the doors to keep employee theft at a minimum, and that day was no different. Trapped by the fire, many girls leaped out the window to their deaths. Many were burned by the fire. Out of 500 employees, 146 were killed.
This tragedy led to a reform of factory conditions that has made life better for workers across the nation, but what a horror that it took an event like this to make the industry wake up and understand what needed to be done. I encourage you to read more about this fire. It’s a look into our past and what made our country what it is today.
(This book was published in 2002 by Henry Holt and Company. It has been named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young Adults, and one of Booklist’s “Top 10 Historical Novels for Youth.”)