Rating: 
Summary: Essential reading when trying to understand modern America
Review: For all those people who complain about Big Government & excessive government regulation in the workplace, this book should serve as a gentle reminder that these regulations are not enacted in a vacuum, but rather are in response to a clearly perceived need for reform. Do we really think that Big Business, left to its own devices, would not let a tragedy such as the Triangle fire happen again?Von Drehle goes beyond just giving us a blow-by-blow account of how the fire happened. He shows why the fire had the impact it had by putting it in the larger context of labor relations & the political climate of New York City. A significant 1909 strike by shirtwaist makers, combined with a shift in power within the Tammany Machine, made it possible for real steps in reform to be made in the next decade. Of course, it was the horrifying nature of the Triangle fire that provided the impetus for change, but if it had happened 10 years earlier, it is hard to see that it would have had the impact that it did. Von Drehle does a good job combining s journalist's narrative skill with historian's perspective, something that is not that easy to do. It would have been easy enough simply to focus on the only the fire & the subsequent trial, but the historian in von Drehle understands that the Triangle fire is only important when understood in the larger context. Everyone who has ever held a job should read this book to get a real sense of perspective. Anyone who spends a lot of time extolling the virtues of free enterprise might consider that this book portrays free enterprise taken to its logical extremes, with fatal & horrifying results. Theoretrically, unrestrained free enterprise may seem fine and dandy, but we have seen the reality of it --- this book chronicles just a small portion of that reality.
Rating:
Summary: Essential reading when trying to understand modern America
Review: For all those people who complain about Big Government & excessive government regulation in the workplace, this book should serve as a gentle reminder that these regulations are not enacted in a vacuum, but rather are in response to a clearly perceived need for reform. Do we really think that Big Business, left to its own devices, would not let a tragedy such as the Triangle fire happen again? Von Drehle goes beyond just giving us a blow-by-blow account of how the fire happened. He shows why the fire had the impact it had by putting it in the larger context of labor relations & the political climate of New York City. A significant 1909 strike by shirtwaist makers, combined with a shift in power within the Tammany Machine, made it possible for real steps in reform to be made in the next decade. Of course, it was the horrifying nature of the Triangle fire that provided the impetus for change, but if it had happened 10 years earlier, it is hard to see that it would have had the impact that it did. Von Drehle does a good job combining s journalist's narrative skill with historian's perspective, something that is not that easy to do. It would have been easy enough simply to focus on the only the fire & the subsequent trial, but the historian in von Drehle understands that the Triangle fire is only important when understood in the larger context. Everyone who has ever held a job should read this book to get a real sense of perspective. Anyone who spends a lot of time extolling the virtues of free enterprise might consider that this book portrays free enterprise taken to its logical extremes, with fatal & horrifying results. Theoretrically, unrestrained free enterprise may seem fine and dandy, but we have seen the reality of it --- this book chronicles just a small portion of that reality.
Rating: 
Summary: Another tragedy that did not have to happen!!!!!
Review: Here's yet another book devoted to a tragedy in the opening decade of the twentieth century. There have been a lot them lately and I have read several. As another reviewer has so aptly noted, the chief criticism of this book is that only about 1/3 of the text is actually devoted to discussing the fire itself. I must say I was bit disappointed with this. The remainder of these pages are devoted to a discussion of the prevailing socio-economic conditions of the day as well as the political climate in the city of New York. To be sure, the hours were long and working conditions were deplorable. Imagine working with 300-400 other individuals and having only one or two bathrooms available!!! I have worked in the apparel industry myself as recently as a decade ago and saw conditions even then that made me shake my head. I cannot imagine what it was like for those poor souls in factories in the days of totally unbridled capitalism!!! Von Drehle spends quite a bit of time discussing the emerging labor unrest and to the general strike that occurred about a year before the fire. He introduces us to some of the key players in the struggle including Clara Lemlich, a young Russian immigrant who emerged as one of they key leaders of the movement. We are also introduced to the owners of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Co. and to some of the key players on the New York City political scene including Robert Wagner, Alfred E. Smith and Frances Perkins. As is the case in most of these tragedies, this fire could have easily been avoided. I was quite surprised to learn that by the 1880's most New England cotton mills were equipped with automatic sprinklers, firewalls and fireproof doors. Thus, the technology was available but for purely financial reasons the owners of the Triangle chose not to install it. This is certainly a book worthy of your attention and one I would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Disasters Don't Happen in a Vacum
Review: History can be dry or very interesting, and often it is the approach that makes all the difference. Although the fire at the Triangle Shirt Waist Company, would make a great disaster movie, it is more interesting as a catlyst for to learn about how America, and its relationship with workers changed. And lilke the logo of the company there are three sides to this change, Labor, Management, and Government. This book beautifully explains how this fire forced these three sides together. It is also very dramatic in its telling of the lives of those who perished and those who lived. It is packed with interesting facts and asides that reinforces how little things change. One interesting fact is the origin of the word "sweatshop." It was not a hot place where workers toiled for low wages, as we know it, but rather a term applied to making workers take less than they were told they would be paid by sweating out concessions from them. A worker might be told he was to be paid so much per dozen hems, but then be charged for needles, thread, the machine use, and the first dozen where just for trial. It makes me think of the relationship between Wal-Mart and its suppliers, that have been detailed in recent press articles. This book also shows how political parties that cannot read the mood of the electorate, are doomed to fail. A great read, don't miss this.
Rating:
Summary: "Their monument and legacy are stitched into our world"
Review: I first heard of the Triangle Waist (as in "shirtwaist" or a woman's blouse) factory fire of 1911 during a course in labor economics. The event will probably be covered in a page or two in a labor economics textbooks or, possibly, a paragraph in an American history textbook. I was surprised to learn from this book that the fire represented the greatest loss of life in a New York workplace for 90 years, being surpassed by 911. Many who have not studied the progressive era in American history or the history of labor movements may never have heard of this tragedy. David von Drehle in "Triangle" does an excellent job describing the labor climate up to the event, the disaster itself, and the important aftermath that explains why the Triangle fire needs to be remembered. Drehle presents the most thorough account of the garment factory fire since Leon Stein's extensive interviews of survivors in "The Triangle Fire," published in 1962. Drehle uncovered the long lost and brittle transcript of People v. Harris & Blanck (Isaac Harris and Max Blanck were the owners of Triangle) in the New York County Lawyer's Association. Drehle also compiled the first complete list of the 140 identified fire victims by scouring the many contemporary newspaper accounts. His description of the fire is graphic and well detailed. Illustrations of each floor of the factory is included. Drehle also includes essential background information such as the history of the garment industry (pp. 39-42), the inner workings of the factory, the state of labor relations at the time including the 1909 strike that attracted such high profile supporters as Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and J. P. Morgan's daughter, and even the cultures of the different workers in the factory (i.e. an interesting comparison of Eastern European Jewish and Italian workers, pg. 60). Background information is also provided on the important characters surrounding the event from Russian woman activist Clara Lemlich who was beaten during a pre-fire labor strike to the "Tammany Hall Twins" Robert F. Wagner and Alfred E. Smith who worked to get reform measures passed after the fire. As important as this background information is, it does divert away from the story (especially during fairly long descriptions of certain people) and I found myself on several occasions getting restless and wanting the author to get back to the fire. Drehle argues that an accelerated move to urban liberalism was one of the legacies of the fire. Tammany Hall city boss, Charles Murphy, once a steadfast supporter of the status quo, realized that reform could mean votes. The Factory Investigating Commission (formed as a result of the fire) helped transform the Democratic party by opening political doors to labor leaders (pg. 213). In fact, socialism was doomed as, in the next two decades, the Democrats co-opted many of their ideas leading to New Deal bills, many of which Wagner wrote. Reform worker and activist for the Triangle victims Frances Perkins, who earlier found Wagner and Smith more susceptible to causes like the 54-hour day than state senator Franklin D. Roosevelt, would be the first woman secretary of labor in the FDR administration. This road to progressivism would have been taken without the fire, but the fire definitely played an important role in giving certain people power and influence to pass many reform bills like the 54-hour day and better factory safety measures that would help future factory workers and change the face of New York's powerful Tammany Hall. Drehle's book includes coverage of the Blanck and Harris trial, a middle section of photos, and an appendix with the names of all 140 identified Triangle fire deaths.
Rating:
Summary: From Fire to Reform
Review: I normally avoid books that focus on horrific events in history because they mostly exploit and sensationalize the disaster for their authors' obvious motive: profit. David Von Drehle has no interest in exploiting this exceptionally terrible moment in New York's--and even America's--history. His compassion for the victims, his admiration for the reformers, and his loathing for those who caused and profited from the fire is obvious on every page, and in every word. Framed by the scorn and indifference toward laborers before the fire, and the realization of guilt that led to the rush to reform after it, the events of March 25, 1911 are heartbreakingly described by Mr. Von Drehle's vivid prose. But the description of the actual fire is only part of the book. He doesn't linger over the gruesome details to satisfy some cruel, voyeuristic hunger that some readers might have expected. There's just enough narrative to convey the chaos, terror and sadness of the event. To prevent the story from getting too morbid, the author diligently included the many individual acts of heroism by police, firemen, passersby and neighboring NYU students. The main purpose of the book, as the subtitle explains, is to demonstrate how the Triangle catastrophe profoundly affected Tammany Hall, New York City and State government, the federal governemt, the labor union movement, socialists, and Democrats. The dedication of the reformers and labor leaders like Al Smith, Frances Perkins, Robert Wagner, Sr., Clara Lemlich, and so on, is also highlighted. The owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, receive the vilification they deserve. And somewhere in the moral gray area are the two most enigmatic figures: Tammany leader Charles Murphy and the attorney for Blanck and Harris, Max Steuer. One last note: the book is a fascinating history of the history of the disaster. By that I mean that Mr. Von Drehle reports how others before him--the newspapers, Attorney Steuer, Clara Lemlich, and Leon Stein--recounted the events of that dark day, and how frighteningly close we came to losing these records (especially Steuer's). It represents the debt we owe to Mr. Von Drehle's dogged research, as well as the debt he owes his predecessors. Amazing. Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points
Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss the film about the Triangle Fire
Review: I recently saw a PBS documentary called, "Three Miracles," about the Triangle Fire. Wow! It is an amazing account of the fire and its aftermath told by the last survivor, 107-year-old Rose Freedman. This film is part of Barbra Streisand's "THE LIVING CENTURY" series: ...
Rating:
Summary: Heart breaking, important book
Review: I've just added this book to my Amazon list of books every American should read. "Triangle" is an important study of a pivotal time in this country's history. The focal point of this study is of course, the ghastly fire that claimed the lives of 146 workers (mostly women) at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory on March 25, 1911. von Drehle introduces us to several of those who were working at the Triangle that day, some who survived and others who did not. He also explores the deplorable working and living conditions of the time and how battles were being waged to improve the lot of workers. Many who perished were recent immigrants to the United States and van Drehle tells the immigrants' stories as well.
We also meet the employers and the political powers, notably Tammany Hall that helped sustain them.
The circumstances of the fire itself are explored in chapters that read like great fiction. The details are at times graphic, but then they must be to convey the horror of what happened. But more than gruesome, the story of the victims is utterly heart breaking.
Yet surely the greater tragedy is not the fire but the daily sufferings of Americans forced to work long, excruciating hours on mind numbing jobs for pitiful wages. The heart weeps at how fellow Americans (gainfully employed ones) struggled to survive less than 100 years ago.
However out of such tragedy along with villains there are heroes, those brave souls who led strikes, or merely endured with dignity and those politicians who strove, not to line their pockets, but better the lives of others. The reforms they pursued in the wake of the fire comprise an important part of the book's latter third.
von Drehle's greatest accomplishments are bringing all the elements of this story together and presenting them in such an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: How The World of 1911 Shaped The World We Live In Today
Review: If you read this book...prepare to be shocked. Prepare to be outraged. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the ninth floor of a building in New York City. The eighth, ninth and tenth floors of this structure were home to a successful blouse-making firm, the Triangle Waist Company. In the panic and pandemonium that followed, 146 people, the majority of them young immigrant women, lost their lives. Some were burned to death; some jumped, even though they knew they would perish, to avoid the horror of the flames; others plunged down an elevator shaft or were killed when an overloaded fire escape collapsed. It was the worst workplace disaster in New York history until the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, and author David Von Drehle brings these faceless victims back to life so that we realize the true magnitude of their loss. This is a riverting work of narrative history that also places the events described in the larger context of the societal changes that followed. The Triangle fire came a little more than a year after a major labor uprising among the garment workers that marked an important elevation in their status. The story of this strike is one of the main themes leading up to the tragedy; the other is a picture of Tammany Hall, the machine that controlled New York politics for generations. In the wake of the disaster, there was an outpouring of grief and sympathy and support for the survivors...and very real fears that the larger lessons of the disaster would be forgotten. Although a criminal trial against the Triangle's owners many not have produced the moral victory many had hoped, the strong currents of change flowing through society could not be stopped. Von Drehle documents how Tammany, realizing its survival was at stake, shifted from a force of reaction to a force of change. Although Tamany policeman had harassed and beaten participants in the 1909 strike, reformers and politicians, including Al Smith, Robert Wagner and Frances Perkins, would go on to accomplish significant reforms in workplace safety conditions--and with Tammany's backing. Ultimately, Von Drehle argues, this wave of change peaked with the rise of urban liberalism and Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. In Von Drehle's gifted storytelling, the lost world of almost a century ago lives again. Read this book, and better understand how that world of yesterday shaped the one we live in today.
Rating:
Summary: Points of Origin
Review: In fire investigations, one of the first determinations that is sought to be made is the point of origin. The Triangle Fire in 1911 represents several different points of origin. It is, for instance, the point of origin for the political careeers of Al Smith and Robert F. Wagner. It is a point of origin for the demise of Tammany Hall. It is a point of origin for the industrial safety movements. If the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company had not started another would have somewhere else. The Garment District was a tinderbox waiting for a match. The drama and breathless reporting contributed to the positive reform this disaster engendered. Dave Van Drehle is an excellent reporter, and this book has a journalistic feel to it. Where it comes up short is that in its ambition it ends up giving too short a shrift to the fire itself. Its focus on the Triangle Company's labor strife and the society suffragettes seems oddly attached to the story of the conflageration. The portrayal of Max Struer who defended the factory owners in their criminal trial was masterful.
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