On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Asch Building in Manhattan, where the Triangle Waist Company occupied three floors. Some of the workers on the eighth and tenth floors escaped, but the workers on the crowded ninth floor, mostly young Italian and Russian Jewish immigrants, were trapped by a door that had been locked to prevent workers from leaving early. In all, 146 women died as a result, either from burning or jumping from the ninth floor windows in an attempt to escape the flames. Using many first-person accounts and historic photographs, Albert Marrin provides young readers with a solid background about immigration at the beginning of the twentieth century, as well as the sorts of working conditions that led to the tragedy. He also describes the rise of the labor movement and formation of unions prior to the fire and shows how the fire changed public opinion, paving the way for legislation that provided better working conditions, higher wages, and the right to unionize. He concludes with a look at modern-day working conditions overseas and here in the United States where people continue to work in situations not much better than those in the Triangle Waist Company. (Age 12 and older)

On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst into flames.  The factory was crowded.  The doors were locked to ensure workers stay inside.  One hundred forty-six people—mostly women—perished; it was one of the most lethal workplace fires in American history until September 11, 2001.

But the story of the fire is not the story of one accidental moment in time.  It is a story of immigration and hard work to make it in a new country, as Italians and Jews and others traveled to America to find a better life.  It is the story of poor working conditions and greedy bosses, as garment workers discovered the endless sacrifices required to make ends meet.  It is the story of unimaginable, but avoidable, disaster.  And it the story of the unquenchable pride and activism of fearless immigrants and women who stood up to business, got America on their side, and finally changed working conditions for our entire nation, initiating radical new laws we take for granted today.

With Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Albert Marrin has crafted a gripping, nuanced, and poignant account of one of America's defining tragedies.