Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy written by Albert Marrin is a nonfiction book that is mainly about the causes (the events that led up to it) and effects of the Triangle Fire in 1911–one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history. Besides this event, it also accounts the story of South Italian and Jewish immigrants who traveled to America to find a better life–which builds up to the main event; covering topics such as labor rights, immigration, and mortality.  Furthermore, as the central ideas of the book develop, readers will eventually discover a larger story behind the tragedy. It is a story of the poor working conditions and unfair labor practices that industry workers suffered in, at that time period, as well as the sacrifices they made and the actions they took to cause a change in the society.

The two main central ideas I found in the book are that, immigrants faced a lot of hardships in the new country (America), and that workers suffered under poor working conditions & unfair labor practices. Furthermore, I think the theme that these two ideas built up to in the book is that, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty and safety”, as stated by the author at the end of the book.

Below are the notes that I took on the development of these ideas over the course of the story: