Triangle

The Fire That Changed America

By: David Von Drehle

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

“Outstanding… social history at its best.” –The New York Times Book Review

“An amazing, long-forgotten tale. A riveting history written with flair and precision.”—Bob Woodward

In one of the most honored books of the year, David Von Drehle transports us to a beautiful spring day in March 1911 when 146 workers—most of them young immigrant women—lost their lives. Employees had just begun preparing to leave the Triangle shirtwaist factory in New York’s Greenwich Village when a fire broke out and within minutes consumed the building’s upper three stories.It was the worst workplace disaster in New York City history until 9/11.
 
“Animated by vigorous, descriptive prose, Triangle carries the reader deep into a portrait of early-twentieth-century New York . . . when colorful machine politicians battled socialists, suffragists and upright progressive reformers for the soul of an increasingly immigrant city.” —Chicago Tribune
 
“Von Drehle’s spellbinding and detailed reconstruction of the disaster is complemented by an equally gripping account of the factory owners’ subsequent manslaughter trial (they got off scot-free), drawing on court records he helped unearth.” —The New York Times

“Behind the fire lay the extraordinary history of sweatshop labor and the fledgling beginnings of union organizing. The heart of Von Drehle’s book is its detailed, nuanced, mesmerizing description of the fire. The descriptions . . .leave a reader staring into space.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

Praise for David Von Drehle's Triangle:
New York Times Extended List Best Seller • New York Times Book Review Notable Book •Washington Post Book World Rave of the Year • New York Public Library Book of the Year • New York Society Library Book of the Year • Fresh Air Critic’s Top Book of 2003 • Hadassah Top Ten Jewish Best Seller • ALA Notable Book of the Year • Winner of the 2004 Christopher Award • Winner of the 2004 Sidney Hillman Foundation Award •Amazon Top 50 Books of the Year • San Jose Mercury News Best Book • Rocky Mountain News Best Book • Providence Journal Critic’s Choice



Cover design by Marcia Salo and Charles Rue Woods
Cover photograph courtesy of Culver Pictures
Photo imaging by Michael Tedesco
Grove Press books are distributed by Publishers Group West
Reading Group Guide available online at www.groveatlantic.com
PRINTED IN THE USA 0904

Very thoughtful and informative

The story of the fire is placed in the context of the political landscape of NYC in 1911. The pivotal importance of this event becomes clear not only in terms of labor law reform, but also in the creation of the democratic party of FDR.

If you like this kind of history book its great.

Its nice to hear the whole story on something. Maybe one day we will get to read a book that puts September 11th into a nice little package.

Great book!

I so enjoyed this history, which takes the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory as its core. Although focusing on the factory, its workers and bosses, and the fire, the author also examines all the other historical pieces that contributed and the results afterwards.

I thought the performer was excellent.

Highly recommend!

Interesting but Loong

The "Triangle" book furnishes every possible detail regarding the sad fire, the victims, and. The aftermath. As a historic reference work it is great, but as an audio book it's so filled with facts, figures, columns of names that it is difficult to keep track. An audio version would do well to be about half the length. Even better would be to purchase the book version so that the reader can easily flip back and forth to verify names and timeline. On the plus side, the narration is excellent; crisp, clear and the perfect tempo.

Fire and Politics

I am slowly working through the mass casualty fires that changed the way we fight fire and the way business is conducted. Of the four or five I have read/ listened to, this is the only one that didn't grab my attention. All the books started out by talking about the wirld in which these fires happen and tge politics behind some of the reasons they became so deadly. This book took it to the next level.
The two chapters deal with the political and social unrest of New York at the turn of the century and dozens if names are thrown out. From what I can tell, few were involved with the Triangle Waistshirt Company or the fire. When those involved in the company and fire are mentioned it seems to be a blur. The fure itself seemed to not be the point of the book.
As far as the fire goes, there is not a lot there. I don't know if the records are not kept or had been lost. The book is well researched, just not on the fure side.