Hear My Sorrow, the Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker (Dear America)

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Summary: A powerful look into the past
Review: 1909 is a time of bustling activity and change in New York City. For fourteen-year-old Angela Denoto, an Italian immigrant, things are changing too. Her family is extremely poor and live in a tenement building in the Lower East Side. When her father loses his job, Angela must stop school, something she desperatly wants to do, and goes to work in a shirtwaist factory to support her family. Angela begins to record her secret desires of school in her diary, given to her from her teacher. Conditions in the factories are very poor and the long hours cripple many of the girls. However, change is on the way. Labor unions are popping up all over New York City, and soon Angela and other workers strike to protest the wages and conditions. Even though the strike doesn't work, Angela knows the the labor unions have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately sorrow soon follows as Angela records the loss of family and friends along with the terrible tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire where her sister works.

I enjoyed this diary very much. It was probably one of the saddest Dear Americas out there but it really accurately described the situations in the factories. I recommend fans of Dear America to read this book.

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Summary: Dear America is back again!
Review: Finally, Dear America has picked up again. I was reluctant to read this book at all given how much I liked "Look to the Hills" and "Lady of Palenque" both of which turned out to be so dull that I found my history textbook for History 1030 more interesting. I checked out "Hear My Sorrow" from the library as I did not want to spend $11 on it and be disappointed again. I'll be buying it as soon as I can get the money together, it is that good. "Hear My Sorrow" is the story of Angela Denoto, the daughter of Italian immigrants. She is forced to drop out of school because her dad can no longer work on a regular basis, owing to injuries from past jobs. She drops out of school at fourteen, and recieves a diary from her teacher, who claims that if Angela can fill it up, she can come back to get another one. Angela sets out to prove Ms. Kelly wrong, and records her story here. First, we see how the garment industry worked in 1909, and the harsh conditions Angela put up with-having to buy her own needles, forced to rent a locker (both come out of her pay) penalized for coming late, expected to stay until 9:00 pm at night sometimes, thirty minute lunches, working every day for 12 hours or more except Sunday. Angela meets Sarah and Clara, who work in the same factory and coax her into joining a union. Angela and her sister Luisa get into a fight over unions, and Angela learns a few things about her parents in the process. Angela participates in a strike, learns how hard it is. But her sister stays mad at her until the dramatic happens. We see how the Shirtwaist factory Fire affected Angela's life, and we have her fictional eyewitness account to give an idea of what it was like. The historical note talks about the progressive movement, working conditions, and the lives of Italian immigrants. I first read about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in the "Welcome to Samantha's World" book from the American Girls Collection, and then read a little more into it in a college history text, but lost interest when I had to memorize facts about it in order to write an essay for a midterm exam. This book answered a lot of questions brushed over in that college class, and went into a lot more depth than the AGC Samantha book ever could. I recommend this book to any Dear America fan (I've been one since age 13) and anyone interested in a more enjoyable account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the onset of the labor movement (which finally gained what it wanted in FDR's New Deal during the 1930's). An enjoyable read, very well researched, the characters and plot were very good.

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Summary: A wonderful new book from the Dear America series.
Review: It's 1909 in New York City, and fourteen-year-old Angela Denoto has just left school to get a job so she can help support her Italian immigrant family, even though secretly she longs to continue her education. Before she leaves, her teacher gives her a diary as a gift, and Angela begins to write in it. She describes how she gets a job at a shirtwaist factory and faces long working hours in terrible conditions. When the workers go on strike, Angela joins them, but in the end they accomplish little but to show their strength. She also describes personal tragedies, the loss of family and friends to illness, and then the devastating fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where her sister and some of her friends work.

I really enjoyed this new book from the Dear America series. I recommend it to all readers who enjoyed other books in the series, or who enjoy historical fiction or who are interested in this time period in history. Deborah Hopkinson has done a wonderful job at bringing Angela's story to life.

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Summary: A compelling entry in the Dear America series
Review: The early 20th century was a fascinating time period in American history. Thousands of immigrants flooded New York City, escaping poverty and religious persecution in their homelands. Young women, most in their teens, worked long hours in garment factories and sweatshops. HEAR MY SORROW paints a gripping picture of the era, including the Uprising of the Twenty Thousand and the Triangle factory fire, pivotal events in U.S. history.