Flames

My eyes are red and I'm overwhelmed. I just finished reading Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner and am a bit speechless but I have to talk about this book.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory burned on March 25, 1911 - 100 years ago tomorrow. Such a horrid event that has been documented in this book by Friesner. It is one of the most moving books I've ever read. Since I can't seem to organize my thoughts about this book, I'm going to write this as a bullet list:

• The life of immigrant Jews in the early 20th century was harsh and filled with hopes, dreams, and fears. Raisa, 14 at the beginning of the book, left her shtetl in Poland to join her sister, Henda, who had come to America four years previous. The description of the journey in the bowels of the ship is fraught with difficulty as people of all ages huddled together hoping for fresh air and the hope of the Golden Land.
• Raisa is amazing. At times I found her to be so irritating but she is strong beyond words. Her faith is unwavering and her ability to care for others is astounding. She is of a single mind - she will find a way to survive and live. How I wish I had that strength.
• The description of the life of immigrants in New York is strikingly detailed and spot on. The many smells, faces, and languages drip from each page. Friesner is best, I think, at these descriptions. The conversation was a bit stunted at times but that didn't get in the way of the story. But the descriptions of tenement life! Wow...
• The people are full of life and hopes and fears and reality and dreams and death...But they are real. Each one of them. And they are surprising. So surprising.
• The FIRE. That FIRE. The images created on those pages will stay with me for a long time but they are so important to experience.

We need to remember this - One Hundred Years Ago March 25, 1911 - 146 garment workers died. We can never forget that people die on their jobs still today because of the need to make more and more money. Life is precious. Putting the greed of corporations before quality of life or life itself is unforgivable.

And I just thought of this. What I'm taking away from this book is that I am a proud member of the Western Michigan University American Association of University Professors. I've been a member of the Ohio Educators Association and will be a union member all of my life. What is happening in America today is the persistent degrading of unions and the millions of people who are represented by them. Teachers, police, firefighters, state employees - we are all at risk of losing something precious. Pride in what we do and the fact that we are worth far more than the wages we make.

We can never let anything like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire happen again - literally or figuratively. Never. People have worth. I have worth. I will never forget that nor will I ever let anyone try to make me feel worthless.