Threads and Flames

In this young adult historical novel, travel back to 1910 when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire changed the country—and one young girl’s world—forever.

It’s 1910, and Raisa has just traveled alone from a small Polish shtetl all the way to New York City. She is enthralled, overwhelmed, and even frightened, especially when she discovers that her sister has disappeared and she must now fend for herself. How do you survive in a foreign land without a job, a place to live, or a command of the native language?

Perseverance and the kindness of handsome young Gavrel lead Raisa to work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sewing bodices on the popular shirtwaists . . . until 1911 dawns, and one March day a spark ignites in the factory. Fabric and thread and life catch fire. And the flames burn hot enough to change Raisa—and the entire city—forever.

Over one hundred years after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (March 25, 1911) in New York City, the stories of love and life lost are still relevant, and the hope that can come from despair still resonates.