First published 2007
Ellen Fitzpatrick takes pivotal moments from America's Progressive Era and reshapes them into fictional narratives. Her characters move through the turbulent early 1900s as reformers battle corporate interests and advocate for worker protections. Muckraking reporters uncover scandals in business and politics while women activists fight for labor reforms. The stories weave together the famous 1912 presidential race, the Supreme Court's Muller v. Oregon decision, and Jane Addams' pioneering social work at Hull House in Chicago. Traditional establishments clash with rising progressive movements demanding reform. Fitzpatrick shows how regular citizens stepped forward to drive social change during America's most intense period of domestic transformation. The book reveals the personal struggles behind public victories as activists challenge entrenched power structures.
Genres: historical-fiction, biography-memoir, activism, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: based-on-true-events, social-justice
Setting: America, Chicago, Hull House
Period: Early 20th Century, Progressive Era
Hardcover · Bedford/St. Martin's