Autobiography of Mother Jones
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Book Overview
Widowed at the age of 30 when her husband and four young children died during a yellow fever epidemic, Mother Jones spoke out tirelessly and effectively for the rights of workers and unionists. She played a significant role in organizing mining strikes in West Virginia and Colorado, as well as the Pittsburgh steel strike of 1919. She was instrumental in the formation of the United Mine Workers union (UMW) in 1890 and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1905.
An important addition to feminist literature, the Autobiography of Mother Jones is also "a great piece of working-class literature...probably the most readable book in the whole field of American labor history." -- Clarence Darrow.
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 starsThe Hobo Philosopher
This was a short book for a woman who had so much life to tell about. Only 3 pages are devoted to her early years. She doesn't even mention her husband's name. She has a sentence or two about her dad, Richard Harris. Her life, in her opinion, was clearly as a union activist. The book is a compilation of all the strikes she was active in. She was undoubtedly a daring and brave woman. Most interesting is how she managed to...
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Rated 4 starsAutobiography of Mother Jones
One hundred years ago, Mother Jones was called in Congress "the most dangerous woman in America". We can thank her for America's child labor laws and worker protections like weekends, less than 12 hour work days and the right to organize. Mother Jones, an immigrant from Ireland, became a labor organizer when she was 50 in the coal fields and factories across America. She didn't stop to write this book until her 80s. It covers...
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Rated 5 starsauto.of Mother Jones
Mother Jones was powerful and heart wrenching and an extremely important woman and story.
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Rated 5 starsMother Jones on: Mother Jones
A very imformative book about one of the greatest women in history. I am not usually a fan of history, or autobiographies but this is a clear exception. The story of Mother Jones has become an american folk legend and has been twisted and altered by all sides. So the time comes to get it straight from the source. Mother Jones tells her own story in a straight forward, yet moving manner. My favorite part is a particularly...
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