It's 1909 in New York City, and fourteen-year-old Angela Denoto has just left school to get a job so she can help support her Italian immigrant family, even though secretly she longs to continue her education. Before she leaves, her teacher gives her a diary as a gift, and Angela begins to write in it. She describes how she gets a job at a shirtwaist factory and faces long working hours in terrible conditions. When the workers go on strike, Angela joins them, but in the end they accomplish little but to show their strength. She also describes personal tragedies, the loss of family and friends to illness, and then the devastating fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where her sister and some of her friends work.
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1900-1920's Kids growing up/acting up? Yes Kids: - struggling to earn a living to survive Ethnic/Regional/Religion Other aspects: Is this an adult or child's book? - Age 11-14 Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes Age group of kid(s) in story: - high school Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - a teen Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - an organization Profession/status: Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 () United States Yes The US: - Northeast City? Yes City: - New York Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |