Touched by Fire

September 30, 2013
Drawing from historical events, Watts (Clay Man: The Golem of Prague) addresses European anti-Semitism, immigrant life, and labor rights in early 20th-century New York City. Miriam and her Jewish family were attacked by the Cossacks in their hometown of Kiev, Russia, and they foresee trouble from Kaiser Wilhelm after they relocate to East Berlin. Miriam's father works all hours as a tailor to buy tickets to America, the "Golden Land," but the trip will separate the family. He arrives first and writes encouraging letters back. Fourteen-year-old Miriam follows in 1910, sent on the arduous two-week boat ride alone because of her baby sister's delicate health and her brother's stubborn unwillingness to leave. Miriam finds work with the unscrupulous Shirtwaist Kings, briefly enjoying new friends and freedoms, only to be struck down by disaster. Watts offers a scrupulously researched portrayal of the Triangle Waist Company fire and the conditions that led to the tragedy. Her descriptions of the threats and hurdles endured by those who left the familiar behind to immigrate to America are polished, candid, and faithful to Jewish history. Ages 10âup.

November 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-In this combination coming-of-age novel and early-20th-century history lesson, Miriam, a Jewish teenager, and her family dream of going to America, the "Golden Land." Miriam's long and eventful journey begins in 1905 as her family flees the pogroms and moves to Berlin to save money for their ultimate destination-New York City. Her father goes ahead of his wife and three children and settles on the Lower East Side, and his letters home record the struggles of immigrants trying to establish themselves in a new world. Ultimately, Miriam, traveling alone, endures steerage conditions on a ship and joins her father. A new friend and a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory seem to promise a fresh start. Fire is a real and constant threat from the novel's opening pages; at each stage of Miriam's journey, it plays a catalytic role. The details on the Shirtwaist tragedy are age-appropriately frightening and heartbreaking. The novel does not tread any new ground, but it does present a likable and determined character who is reminiscent of Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and it provides a solid overview of a turbulent period in world history. The novel will appeal to readers of historical fiction, but would also enhance units focusing on the first 35 years of the 20th century.-Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Seeking a safe, persecution-free life in the "Golden Land" of America, fourteen-year-old Miriam arrives on New York City's Lower East Side. While she is one of the fortunate Triangle Waist Company workers to escape the infamous fire, she also discovers the real America where the struggle to survive and prosper is arduous. A solid rendition of the early-twentieth-century Jewish immigrant experience.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)