Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter for Workers' Rights (Lerner Biographies)

From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up. An account of the life and work of the outspoken labor organizer and reformer loaded with her own fiery words and indomitable spirit. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6^-10. Like Betsy Harvey Kraft's Mother Jones (1995) and Susan Bartoletti's Growing Up in Coal Country (1996), this account of the noted labor leader is also a social history of American workers' struggle for safety, shorter hours, and the end of child labor. Readers will be caught by the fierce personality of this brave woman, so ahead of her time, who dared to stand up to presidents and financiers for the rights of ordinary people. It's a story of amazing courage and determination; it's also about failure, again and again, as strikes failed, workers died, and conditions seemed never to improve. Compelling black-and-white photos throughout show the gray-haired lady--whose demure appearance belied her determination--marching with miners, railroad workers, and women and children. Josephson draws a lot on Mother Jones' candid autobiography, as well as on accounts by labor historians, and the quotes are unobtrusively documented at the back of the book. Bibliography. Hazel Rochman

School Library Journal, starred review, April 1997
"Mother Jones was a fascinating figure even before her life as a labor organizer began...Josephson brings this remarkable woman to life through well-documented sources and photographs of Jones and the environs in which she worked...An accessible, genuine volume on a worthy figure in our history."

Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1998
"The book, named one of the best of 1997 by the School Library Journal, follows the life of Mary Harris Jones from her birth to a poor farm family in Cork, Ireland, through her life-changing experiences in the coal mines and textile mills of the U.S. to her death at age 100 in 1930. "The text, suitable for grades six and above, is accompanied by dozens of historic photos that help bring to life the suffering of those Mother Jones championed."

Bay Views, July 1997
ADDITIONAL "At one time considered 'the most dangerous woman in America,' Mother Jones was influential in organizing workers in the early years of labor unions. ...This is a well-researched and well-documented biography with clear b/w photos and facsimiles, source notes, and a bibliography of adult titles. ...readers will be rewarded with a clear picture of working conditions in the early 20th century and of a courageous woman whose efforts to change them were not always successful."

Signal Journal, December 1997
"...This well-researched biography is an excellent reference for teachers and an interesting novel for people interested in historical women leaders. Teenage to adult readers will admire Mary Harris Jones' courage and leadership."

School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, April 1997
Mother Jones was a fascinating figure even before her life as a labor organizer began . . . Josephson brings this remarkable woman to life through well-documented sources and photographs of Jones and the environs in which she worked . . . An accessible, genuine volume on a worthy figure in our history.

School Library Journal, December 1997
Mother Jones listed as one of top sixty children's books in School Library Journal's "Best Books of 1997," out of 3600 books reviewed in 1997.

Children's Literature, September 1997
". . . introduces readers to a brave woman who deserves attention and to important topics, including the harsh conditions child workers endured."

The Horn Book Guide, January-June 1997
"Josephson draws on Mother Jones's letters, speeches, and autobiography (among other sources) . . . complete with her own misspellings, her own hasty punctuation-and the sometimes peppery words she herself chose in this spirited portrait of the Miners' Angel. The result is a biography as deliberate, focused, and accessible as its subject. Archival photos are included. Bibliography, index."

Bay Views, July 1997
ADDITIONAL "At one time considered "the most dangerous woman in America," Mother Jones was influential in organizing workers in the early years of labor unions. . . This is a well-researched and well-documented biography with clear b/w photos and facsimiles, source notes, and a biography of adult titles. . . readers will be rewarded with a clear picture of working conditions in the early 20th century and of a courageous woman whose efforts to change them were not always successful."

Card catalog description
A biography of Mary Harris Jones, the union organizer who worked tirelessly for the rights of workers.


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Gr 6 Up--An account of the life and work of the outspoken labor organizer and reformer loaded with her own fiery words and indomitable spirit. (Apr.)


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