Hear My Sorrow: The Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker, New York City, 1909 (Dear America Series)

by Deborah Hopkinson

Overview

Critically acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson's HEAR MY SORROW is back with a beautiful new cover!

Fourteen-year-old Angela Denoto and her family have arrived in New York City from their village in Italy to find themselves settled in a small tenement apartment on the Lower East Side. When her father is no longer able to work as a hod carrier, Angela must leave school and find a job in a shirtwaist factory. Despite being disappointed that she had to give up her education, Angela is proud that she is able to help her family. But soon she begins to wonder about the steep price of the American dream, given the dangerous conditions at the factory. Set against the birth of the labor union movement in the early 1900s, Angela finds herself caught up in the drama and turmoil that erupts as the workers begin to strike, protesting the terrible conditions in the sweatshops. In the pages of her diary, Angela records the horrors of the Triangle Factory fire, along with the triumphs and sorrows of the labor movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545455541
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/07/2014
Series:	Dear America Series
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	397,786
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the highly acclaimed author of thrilling, accessible, and compelling works of fiction and nonfiction for every reader. She has written over forty award-winning books, including Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist and Sibert Honor Book; D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed History; We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport, which was a Kids' Book Choice Award Nominee and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book; NCTE/Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, We Must Not Forget; Race Against Death, which School Library Journal called "impactful" in a starred review; and her series for Grades 2-5, The Deadliest, which are action-packed, photo-filled nonfiction titles about disasters throughout history, and the rollicking novel The Plot to Kill a Queen. Deborah lives outside Portland, Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-6-These two entries in the popular series illuminate tragic events in American history. When local girls begin to act strangely and accuse others of being witches, Deliverance Trembley believes them. However, after a trusted neighbor is implicated, she begins to have doubts and struggles to make up her own mind about the people accused. The story shows how one person's view could evolve over time. However, it is sometimes difficult to keep the characters straight, especially who is an accuser and who is accused. In 1909, Angela Denoto, a 14-year-old garment-factory worker, lives with her parents in New York City. She works long days and gives all of her pay to her Italian immigrant family. When union organizers come on the scene, Angela joins in the excitement. Later, her sister barely escapes a fire at the Triangle Waist Company, where she works. This story is told with lively details, from the noise in the factory to the heat in the family's tenement apartment. The description of the fire is graphic, with girls jumping out of windows to their deaths. Both books contain sections on life in America during the time and photos and illustrations. Additional titles for fans of the series.-Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal