There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
From the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, the first real factories in America, to the triumph of unions in the twentieth century and their waning influence today, the contest between labor and capital for their share of American bounty has shaped our national experience. Philip Dray’s ambition is to show us the vital accomplishments of organized labor in that time and illuminate its central role in our social, political, economic, and cultural evolution. There Is Power in a Union is an epic, character-driven narrative that locates this struggle for security and dignity in all its various settings: on picket lines and in union halls, jails, assembly lines, corporate boardrooms, the courts, the halls of Congress, and the White House. The author demonstrates, viscerally and dramatically, the urgency of the fight for fairness and economic democracy—a struggle that remains especially urgent today, when ordinary Americans are so anxious and beset by economic woes.
Brilliant history of The American labor movement, from its origins in Lowell textile mills to the present. The amount of history to cover is very well handled by Dray, who gives thirough, well-told, and well-organized details of every event, despite having to cover so much. The reader is able to follow the causes, outcomes, and implications of each confluent event.
There's Power in a Union (the title taken from a popular union folk song) is the extensively researched, exhaustively descriptive history of unions and the labor movement in the United States. While this monolithic book is no easy read, long, complicated, and full of enough organization acronyms to make your head ache (just try keeping IWW, AFL, ICO, and UAW straight, along with their founders and key players), it is worth the effort to understand just how hard the struggle was to obtain even
This was a fascinating and eye opening read, and the contents are fundamental to anyone who works for a living. Not only important, but compelling, I can't recommend this book enough. Every American should be familiar with the Haymarket Affair, the Ludlow Massacre, PATCO, and the rest, plus all the women and men who sacrificed and organized to bring unionization to industry. We need them now more than ever.
"There is Power in a Union" by Philip Dray tackles a difficult task: creating a thorough yet concise history of American labor history, and performs admirably. Despite the excellent writing and the compelling storytelling, the book also reminds you how difficult this task is. I love reading American histories on particular topics. While there is a lot to admire about this book, I didn't find it as riveting as "A People's History of the United States," "White Rage" by Carol Anderson, or even "A
A good labor history with a good narrative. There is no substitute for a good narrative to learn any subject. History may or may not be driven by grinding impersonal materialistic forces but that is not how humans understand things. People are natural dualists and are more interested in stories with real people with souls than grinding political machinations. That is why a good labor history can get people interested in the subject. There is as much drama in labor struggle as any Grisham novel
Great narrative driven history on labor relations in the US. Dray highlights some of labor's defining achievement and examines bitter defeats. All of this culminates in an attempt to define the current status of labor in America, and what can be done to build upon the work of generations of Americans who have struggled before.
Philip Dray
Hardcover | Pages: 784 pages Rating: 4.14 | 638 Users | 74 Reviews
Itemize Out Of Books There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
Title | : | There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America |
Author | : | Philip Dray |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 784 pages |
Published | : | September 7th 2010 by Doubleday (first published January 1st 2010) |
Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. Labor. Politics. North American Hi.... American History. Economics |
Commentary To Books There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
From an award-winning historian, a stirring (and timely) narrative history of American labor from the dawn of the industrial age to the present day.From the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, the first real factories in America, to the triumph of unions in the twentieth century and their waning influence today, the contest between labor and capital for their share of American bounty has shaped our national experience. Philip Dray’s ambition is to show us the vital accomplishments of organized labor in that time and illuminate its central role in our social, political, economic, and cultural evolution. There Is Power in a Union is an epic, character-driven narrative that locates this struggle for security and dignity in all its various settings: on picket lines and in union halls, jails, assembly lines, corporate boardrooms, the courts, the halls of Congress, and the White House. The author demonstrates, viscerally and dramatically, the urgency of the fight for fairness and economic democracy—a struggle that remains especially urgent today, when ordinary Americans are so anxious and beset by economic woes.
Particularize Books Conducive To There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
ISBN: | 0385526296 (ISBN13: 9780385526296) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Out Of Books There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
Ratings: 4.14 From 638 Users | 74 ReviewsAssessment Out Of Books There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America
Honestly the most comprehensive US labor history book I've ever read, and will probably ever read. I was interested in learning more about US labor history, so naturally I found and dove right into this one. It took me a good couple years to get through partly because it was some roller coaster of emotions. It can read a bit dry at times, but only because it's gearing up to tell you an epic story that reads like a wild novel. It's extremely name, date, and acronym heavy, which can really putBrilliant history of The American labor movement, from its origins in Lowell textile mills to the present. The amount of history to cover is very well handled by Dray, who gives thirough, well-told, and well-organized details of every event, despite having to cover so much. The reader is able to follow the causes, outcomes, and implications of each confluent event.
There's Power in a Union (the title taken from a popular union folk song) is the extensively researched, exhaustively descriptive history of unions and the labor movement in the United States. While this monolithic book is no easy read, long, complicated, and full of enough organization acronyms to make your head ache (just try keeping IWW, AFL, ICO, and UAW straight, along with their founders and key players), it is worth the effort to understand just how hard the struggle was to obtain even
This was a fascinating and eye opening read, and the contents are fundamental to anyone who works for a living. Not only important, but compelling, I can't recommend this book enough. Every American should be familiar with the Haymarket Affair, the Ludlow Massacre, PATCO, and the rest, plus all the women and men who sacrificed and organized to bring unionization to industry. We need them now more than ever.
"There is Power in a Union" by Philip Dray tackles a difficult task: creating a thorough yet concise history of American labor history, and performs admirably. Despite the excellent writing and the compelling storytelling, the book also reminds you how difficult this task is. I love reading American histories on particular topics. While there is a lot to admire about this book, I didn't find it as riveting as "A People's History of the United States," "White Rage" by Carol Anderson, or even "A
A good labor history with a good narrative. There is no substitute for a good narrative to learn any subject. History may or may not be driven by grinding impersonal materialistic forces but that is not how humans understand things. People are natural dualists and are more interested in stories with real people with souls than grinding political machinations. That is why a good labor history can get people interested in the subject. There is as much drama in labor struggle as any Grisham novel
Great narrative driven history on labor relations in the US. Dray highlights some of labor's defining achievement and examines bitter defeats. All of this culminates in an attempt to define the current status of labor in America, and what can be done to build upon the work of generations of Americans who have struggled before.
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