Bread and Roses, Too

At first I wondered, if this book is so great, why it wasn't on any recommended lists when I was raising my children in the 90's--and then I saw the publication date.If you are looking for good historical fiction, this is an excellent pick, a well-written, interesting story which adds understanding to two topics of current relevance: historic ethnic immigrant communities and the early roots of organized labor. It is based on thorough research and weaves many actual historical incidents into the lives of a fictional immigrant family.This book covers similar territory as Paterson's Lyddie--life as a mill or factory worker, especially for an underage child--but in a later time period, the turn of the twentieth century, when workers are trying to unionize and ask for better conditions and better wages. The author paints a sympathetic picture of hard-working families who barely can afford food even though they work long hours in dangerous and unhealthy factories. The owners at first might seem merely disconnected from the reality of their employees' lives, but the tactics they use against strikers become more and more villainous and self-serving. The main characters are immigrants who cluster with fellow countrymen in segregated neighborhoods and even churches (there is an Italian Catholic church and an Irish Catholic church), but begin to support each other across ethnic lines against the wealthy factory owners' tactics. It is unfortunate that both this book and Lyddie can't be recommended to be read together since they contain such complementary information--Lyddie has more information about life inside the mill, Bread and Roses takes place in homes, the school, the streets--but the plot of Lyddie included some situations which might have been historically truthful but make Lyddie a questionable pick for some young readers (sexual harassment including attempted rape--although not explicit, still disturbing--and a pregnant friend who has been having an affair with a married man).Bread and Roses follows two children, an Italian girl whose father was killed in a factory accident but whose family has managed to keep her in school where she is an excellent student, and an illiterate, underage boy who works in the mill and routinely has his wages taken from him by a drunk father. They meet in a garbage heap where she is looking for shoes she hid and he is trying to hide from his father, and their lives keep crossing. Paterson skillfully weaves real events into their stories without ever becoming pedantic about those facts. What a lovely way to learn!

In 1912, the work week of the mill workers of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was reduced by two hours and so the people went on strike. Bread and Roses, Too is historical fiction focused on two children, one a schoolgirl and sister and daughter of strikers and the other a mill worker and striker himself. The story is told beautifully. It is sometimes a little slow, but that fits the story very well. The ending is absolutely perfect. At the end there is a historical note that reveals that most of the backdrop of the story is completely true (and explains a bit of what is not). I highly recommend this book to middle grade kids learning about the industrial revolution or strikes.

This was a simple little book which I purchased because it involved Barre, Vt close to the spot where I grew up. It's historical background was interesting and although it was a simple tale built around one of the early East coast strikes, I enjoyed it. Yes, I would recommend it, but don't expect a great literary read.

This was well written, and I learned a lot about the time period and the struggle to start unions in the US. But the cover was a little misleading, I thought the bulk of the story would be about the young girl, instead a different character was more prominent. Overall did enjoy the story. Thanks to the author.

"Bread and Roses, Too" by Katherine Paterson is a book that we were reading to the kids in my special ed school. These kids were special needs, around 18, but were thoroughly interested in the book. I came in as a sub when they were in the middle of the story and it was so good that when I came home I bought the book. Where I live it used to be a big Mill area so the history behind the story hits close to home. Well worth the read.

Katherine Paterson brings the times and the characters who lived through them to such vivid life that I could not put this book down. Her detailed account of the inner emotional and psychological lives of the young people in this story is brilliant. The dialogue is so real and convincing that I never doubted the truth of this story for one second. Rosa, the heroine, is transformed by the events swirling around her while her desperate sidekick acts exactly as you would expect an abandoned, unloved boy to behave. Her story telling is pure pleasure, but Paterson's greater gift here may be the reminder of what workers won for us all at great risk and cost over a century ago.

Gave this to 3td grade who is excellent reader and appreciated being there at this historic event

I learned a great deal of history about the strike in Lawrence Mass. during the early 1900s. This book is an eye opener not only about conditions in factories in the early days of the industrial revolution, but leads one to investigate conditions in factories today both here and abroad.