Review: FLESH AND BLOOD SO CHEAP: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin

FLESH AND BLOOD SO CHEAP: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin.

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 2011
List Price: $19.99
ISBN-13: 9780375868894

Review: Oh, God! That bread be so dear, and Flesh and Blood So Cheap! said Jacob Riis in the book How the Other Half Lives. The people of the Triangle Fire were trapped in their bureau with doors locked as they burned in the flames. Flesh and Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin is the nonfiction and poignant story of innocent people dying because a cheap business owner locked the doors of the Triangle Waist Company.

Imagine working, about to leave to go to your family and go have a fun time, when a fire suddenly ignites and your life is over. This is what happened to many immigrants in the Triangle Fire. Immigrants came from all over the world and lived in New York City. They went through many exams at Ellis Island in hopes of finding a better life. As more people came to America, the more business was needed. People began to buy pre-made clothes instead of tailor-made clothes. This is because locals wanted cheaper clothes that are effortless to find. The Triangle waist company was very successful. The workers made countless pieces of clothing every day. But, the working conditions were extremely harsh. Rooms were hot and dirty, workers were compressed together as they toiled, and wages were small. Then one day the terrible fire started. Numerous people died. Many were trapped within the building. Even though the fire department arrived, they were too late. The workers were ultimately killed because a business owner locked his doors. As the quote said before, Flesh and Blood So Cheap . By this I mean that the owner didn't care about the lives of people but instead the money that he earned by locking the doors of the building. Also, all the outcomes led to one conclusion, misery.

I found this book to be very interesting. One reason is because until now, I had never heard of the Triangle Fire. Also, it was one of the most gigantic holocausts in New York with a large death rate. Although I liked the book, I did find the tempo of the book to be slow. By this I mean that the story took a long time to finish. I also found the way the story was written to be a bit confusing at times. For an example the beginning when the author was explaining immigration was puzzling because his wording was weak. Overall I would give the story four stars. I found Flesh and Blood So Cheap a great book to use for a school report.

Review written by Kyle (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of FLESH AND BLOOD SO CHEAP: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy for this review.

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