A while ago, I read the Masters of Rome series, written by Colleen McCullough. These books introduced me to characters that felt like real flesh and blood people I know so well, involved in delightfully intricate political manoeuvres. Rome, as described in these books, feels like a very real place. This book series has made me fall in love with history, especially ancient history. More on lemmy post linked. #books#historicalfiction#romanrepublic@bookstodon#reading https://literature.cafe/post/2051183
Today in Labor History September 26, 1874: Sociologist and photographer Lewis Hine is born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1908, he became the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee and spent the next decade documenting exploited child labor to help the organization’s lobbying efforts to end child labor in American industry. The book cover for my novel, Anywhere But Schuylkill, is based pm a Hine photograph.
Samuel Rutherford Crockett was born #OTD, 24 Sep. A prolific & – in his lifetime – very successful author of more than 60 novels, he fell from fashion after WW1 & his books were dismissed as sentimental nostalgia. But there is much more to him: #Tolkien credits Crockett as an inspiration; & he quite possibly wrote the first car chase in fiction…
AN UNFLINCHING GEN X COMING-OF-AGE novel captures the summer heat, grime, and energy of early 80s New York, as well as the complicated friendship between two interns at a prestige newspaper (back when print still ruled the media). B PLUS
Today in Labor History September 6, 1869: The Avondale fire killed 110 miners, including several juveniles under the age of 10. It led to the first mine safety law in Pennsylvania. Avondale is near Plymouth, Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River flows nearby. The mine had only one entrance, in violation of safety recommendations at the time. In the wake of the fire, thousands of miners joined the new Workingmen’s Benevolent Association, one of the nation’s first large industrial unions (and precursor to the United Mineworkers). My book, “Anywhere But Schuylkill,” opens with this fire. My main character, Mike Doyle, joins the bucket brigade trying to put out the flames shooting out of the mineshaft.
Catherine Kullmann is my blog guest today, with an intriguing article about the rights of women in the Regency era and an excerpt from her newest release, The Husband Criteria: https://wp.me/p9O7pv-3qo
Today in Labor History September 5, 1964: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn died in Moscow. Flynn was an anarchist, labor militant and highly successful organizer with the IWW. before joining the American Communist Party. She was also a founding member of the ACLU. She is portrayed in Jess Walter’s historical novel, “The Cold Millions,” about the Spokane Free Speech Fight.