Lara Vapnek

Sam Roberts of the NY Times wrote in his Bookshelf column:

“Breadwinners: Working Women and Economic Independence, 1865-1920” (University of Illinois Press, $70), by Lara Vapnek, reads almost like a prequel to “When Everything Changed,” a history of American women since 1960 by Gail Collins, an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times.

Ms. Vapnek, who teaches history at St. John’s University, chronicles the labor movement through capsule biographies of largely forgotten individuals who had a profound impact on the lives of working women. Her account is national in scope, but New York women figure in it prominently.

Among them were Helen Campbell, a journalist and poverty researcher, who helped start the consumer movement in the 1880s. She urged educated women like herself to consider the welfare of the women who made their clothing and to become ethical consumers.

Another was Leonora O’Reilly, who left school at age 11 to work in a garment factory and support her widowed mother and family. She would emerge as a leader of the 1909 shirtwaist makers’ strike and as a suffragist. “Women, whether you wish it or not, your first step must be to gain equal political rights with men,” she declared. “The next step after that must be equal pay for equal work.”

I was thrilled when I saw this write up because I just sent Roberts the book out of the blue (because I follow his column). I was amazed and pleased that Roberts described the book so concisely in four paragraphs. And my friends had been referring to “Breadwinners” as a “prequel” to Collins’ book. So he totally got it.

The only downside is that the Times listed the List Price of $70.00 for CLOTH rather than the more affordable List Price of 25.00 for PAPER. You can get “Breadwinners” for $16.87 on Amazon.com.  Buy it now while supplies last!