This book is a gem accessible to all readers, presenting a diverse array of personalities and histories, with solid writing by accomplished scholars and a fine introduction and essay by Eric Arnesen.
Michael Honey, University of Washington Eric Arnesen has assembled a wonderful set of biographical stories, both of famous leaders and unknown activists. All are remarkable portraits from ... Read morelabor's past, evoking a world of passion and drama that contemporary readers will find amazingly instructive.
Eileen Boris and Nelson Lichtenstein, co-editors of Major Problems in the History of American Labor These short, engaging biographies capture the multitudinous forms labor has taken over the course of American history, in the tasks performed, the social arrangements of work, and the identity of the workers. While a few well-known figures are profiled, mostly we see the history of labor through long-forgotten midwives, seamstresses, slaves, craftsmen, and agitators. This collection would make a fine addition to any course on the history of American labor, or for that matter, of the United States.
Joshua B. Freeman, City University of New York Eric Arnesen has compiled a splendid collection of labor biographies. [This book] sheds new light on labor activists both famous and obscure. This important collection belongs on every labor historian's bookshelf.
Thomas J. Sugrue, David Boies Professor of History and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania Show Less