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A review by meganac
Audacity by Melanie Crowder
5.0
But I know one thing now:
I will not be
the pheasant
quivering
hiding
from the hunter
who crushes the slender reeds
to flush out
his prey.
I will never
cower
like this
again.
Although some have said the way this historical novel was written in free verse was distracting and difficult for them, I thought it was a beautiful way to tell this thinker's story and made it quite a quick read. I get it, though. Sometimes it just comes down to writing style.
I didn't learn much about the early women's unions in school. I remember hearing Clara's name, but more attention was given to the women's Suffrage movement as a whole than to the women who worked in sweatshops and demanded better treatment and pay. That's sad. Clara's work, and the work of the women by her side, changed the way capitalism works in America for the better. These women were beaten, arrested, jailed, and blacklisted by employers because they peacefully protested the standard of the time - long hours, pathetic pay, sexual harassment. We owe much of what is "normal" for women in the workplace to the determination of these women. We should know their stories.
I loved seeing Clara's point of view as a Russian Jew immigrating to America. I often wonder how women of different personalities deal with living in oppressive settings, and this book did not disappoint. I highly recommend it.
I will not be
the pheasant
quivering
hiding
from the hunter
who crushes the slender reeds
to flush out
his prey.
I will never
cower
like this
again.
Although some have said the way this historical novel was written in free verse was distracting and difficult for them, I thought it was a beautiful way to tell this thinker's story and made it quite a quick read. I get it, though. Sometimes it just comes down to writing style.
I didn't learn much about the early women's unions in school. I remember hearing Clara's name, but more attention was given to the women's Suffrage movement as a whole than to the women who worked in sweatshops and demanded better treatment and pay. That's sad. Clara's work, and the work of the women by her side, changed the way capitalism works in America for the better. These women were beaten, arrested, jailed, and blacklisted by employers because they peacefully protested the standard of the time - long hours, pathetic pay, sexual harassment. We owe much of what is "normal" for women in the workplace to the determination of these women. We should know their stories.
I loved seeing Clara's point of view as a Russian Jew immigrating to America. I often wonder how women of different personalities deal with living in oppressive settings, and this book did not disappoint. I highly recommend it.