Bread and Roses, Too
Author: Katherine Paterson
ISBN 978-0-5470-7651-5

Rose Serutti has a great deal to worry about. Ever since Papa died in a mill accident, Mamma has ceased to sing around their cramped tenement apartment. But when a strike against the corrup mill owners is declared, Mamma goes out singing union songs and marching with the strikers. What will happen to Rosa and Little Ricci? They are sent to Barre, Vermont, with other children to live safely until the strike is over. On the train, a st4range boy begs her to pretend that he is her brother so that he can stay in Barre long enough to find money to go to New York. Alone and far from home, she agrees to protect him even though she suspect that he is hiding some terrible secret.

Set in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912, Bread and Roses, Too is based on actual historical events. Through the eyes of Rosa, the sixth-grade daughter of Italian immigrants, and Jake, a 13-year-old homeless boy, readers see how bigotry, hunger, and hope all played key roles in the devastating millworker strike.

Review: Bread and Roses, Too is a novel of great compassion and the strength of the human spirit. It would make a wonderful addition to a FACS course where the content emphasizes family history, family relationships, and child development.

Genealogy, family relations, child development. Activities based on this novel are included in our resource A Novel Approach to FACS, Reading in the FACS Classroom.

Published: 2008
Format: Paperback
Price: $6.00