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floristseatfree's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Decent labor history of the US. Thorough overview. Very poorly edited.
toddnoth's review against another edition
5.0
Everyone who cares about income inequality and the obscene wealth of a tiny percentage of our society should read this and learn the history of the labor movement to better understand the policies that might drive us forward.
caleigh_g's review against another edition
4.0
A good snapshot of several impactful strikes.
The shilling for Bernie Sanders at the end undermined a large part of the argument for me, however.
The shilling for Bernie Sanders at the end undermined a large part of the argument for me, however.
yikesbmg's review against another edition
5.0
This book is really good: very dense but somehow always interesting, heavy on anecdotes to demonstrate macro themes, and clear, sharp critics of (1) racism, sexism, and xenophobia that has plagued the US labor movement and (2) the violence used by corporations & all levels of government to squash worker power. Also, it includes a good explanation of how progressive labor rights were afforded to women through very gendered (and arguably sexist) legal arguments.
I’d recommend to anyone who didn’t learn much about labor movements in high school or college, as well as anyone who thinks that businesses can be lured or enticed to treat workers well by their own volition. If you have read about the labor movement but don’t know much about the role women and people of color have played in it, read this too.
Things that I liked about this book:
- the level of detail (it includes so many examples of labor struggles I didn’t know about from all regions & geographies in the US)
- its critical analysis (really demonstrative, enraging examples of corporations and governments working together to forcefully break union strikes)
- clear, important take always (unions need to be inclusive; workers need to build movements that push political parties to the left; labor fails without an emphasis on electing allies to office; unions should focus on organizing low wage workers of color)
- the bibliography (so many books about black people, queer people, and women’s role in the 20th century labor movement)
Things I did not like:
- I think Loomis implies in the last chapter that economic insecurity lie at the core of racism/why white people voted for Trump. Its not a big per of this book so I didn’t knock a star off for it, but I disagree with that idea.
This was such a well written, accessible text that lies in anecdotes from the ground, legislation and court cases, and macro analysis. It centers the right people and successfully names groups that have historically been left out of conversations and legislation about American labor. It’s the best history book I’ve read in a while and I’m excited to continue reading Loomis’ work.
I’d recommend to anyone who didn’t learn much about labor movements in high school or college, as well as anyone who thinks that businesses can be lured or enticed to treat workers well by their own volition. If you have read about the labor movement but don’t know much about the role women and people of color have played in it, read this too.
Things that I liked about this book:
- the level of detail (it includes so many examples of labor struggles I didn’t know about from all regions & geographies in the US)
- its critical analysis (really demonstrative, enraging examples of corporations and governments working together to forcefully break union strikes)
- clear, important take always (unions need to be inclusive; workers need to build movements that push political parties to the left; labor fails without an emphasis on electing allies to office; unions should focus on organizing low wage workers of color)
- the bibliography (so many books about black people, queer people, and women’s role in the 20th century labor movement)
Things I did not like:
- I think Loomis implies in the last chapter that economic insecurity lie at the core of racism/why white people voted for Trump. Its not a big per of this book so I didn’t knock a star off for it, but I disagree with that idea.
This was such a well written, accessible text that lies in anecdotes from the ground, legislation and court cases, and macro analysis. It centers the right people and successfully names groups that have historically been left out of conversations and legislation about American labor. It’s the best history book I’ve read in a while and I’m excited to continue reading Loomis’ work.
your_fave_maeve's review against another edition
2.5
I haven't read any history in a while and wanted to learn about the American labor movement. Sadly this book didn't really provide much insight that I can say I walked away with having read it.
I like the concept of the book and the goal of tracing American history through labor struggles as they intersect with racial/gender struggles. That said, I think the book falls into a really bad pattern of just spitting dates and facts at you. It feels very 'this happened in this year and this happened in response' with low amounts of analysis or buffer material to help you digest it. To the extent the book had meta-analysis of the history, I wasn't suuuuuuper impressed by it. A lot of it felt very much like the type of stuff a historically-literate DSA member would write. Very mic-droppy lines like "even then race divided the working class movement."
I think the book tried to strike a middle ground and fell a little flat. As an organizer who is already interested in left politics and knows ~some~ about American labor history, this just scratched the surface and didn't tell me anything exceptionally new. It also reads extremely dry and lacks much substantive analysis beyond "god racism has been a tough thing for related social movements to grapple with." The conclusion which leans heavily on electoralism as a strategy for the future (specifically naming the Bernie campaign) has also aged very poorly post-2020, and I think to an extent shows a liberal misunderstanding of the state's role in policing labor historically.
This is maybe a better read if you have extremely little/no exposure to American labor history and didn't realize how violent it is and that the violence originates in the state- the book succeeds in getting that much across. That said, I think there might be more engaging places for someone to get that information.
I like the concept of the book and the goal of tracing American history through labor struggles as they intersect with racial/gender struggles. That said, I think the book falls into a really bad pattern of just spitting dates and facts at you. It feels very 'this happened in this year and this happened in response' with low amounts of analysis or buffer material to help you digest it. To the extent the book had meta-analysis of the history, I wasn't suuuuuuper impressed by it. A lot of it felt very much like the type of stuff a historically-literate DSA member would write. Very mic-droppy lines like "even then race divided the working class movement."
I think the book tried to strike a middle ground and fell a little flat. As an organizer who is already interested in left politics and knows ~some~ about American labor history, this just scratched the surface and didn't tell me anything exceptionally new. It also reads extremely dry and lacks much substantive analysis beyond "god racism has been a tough thing for related social movements to grapple with." The conclusion which leans heavily on electoralism as a strategy for the future (specifically naming the Bernie campaign) has also aged very poorly post-2020, and I think to an extent shows a liberal misunderstanding of the state's role in policing labor historically.
This is maybe a better read if you have extremely little/no exposure to American labor history and didn't realize how violent it is and that the violence originates in the state- the book succeeds in getting that much across. That said, I think there might be more engaging places for someone to get that information.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent and accessible account of the class conflict between labor and capitalists from the beginning of industrialization to the present day. Perfect for the high school audience.