ISBN: 978-1-59935-099-8

Author: Donna Getzinger

Publisher: Morgan Reynolds

History worth telling usually tells itself. Getzinger's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire is a no-nonsense but intense retelling of the tragedy. By quoting workers, witnesses, and newspaper accounts, she lets the people who were there tell the story. Author Donna Getzinger allows the event to speak for itself.

Getzinger begins by sharing the political and social climate that allowed the tragedy to occur. Most factory owners of that era treated their workers with little if no regard. There were no benefits, and workers worked long hours in cramped, cold or hot, unhealthy warehouses and lofts. Today's children won't recognize that world, so it's a vital part of the story.

Society's vulnerable -- women, children, and immigrants who didn't speak English -- filled these factories. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the Asch Building in the heart of New York City had some of the harshest working conditions of all. The factory employed five hundred people. Almost all were women, some as young as fifteen. All were immigrants. 146 of those employees died on March 25, 1911 after a fire broke out around 4:45 P.M. Many jumped from windows as the fire blazed around them. Some were burned beyond recognition -- seven bodies were never identified. Family members identified some victims by their rings or shoes.

All died needlessly. Highly flammable materials were stored in the factory, so the fire spread quickly. Panicked employees, trying to flee, found an exit locked. Many fell to their deaths when a fire escape broke. Later, the owners denied that the exit was locked. Employees and other witnesses testified that the door was always kept locked -- to keep employees from stealing.

Getzinger never embellishes or exploits events. She skillfully allows the events to carry the story, which is as it should be.