Gear up for your long weekend with some thematic reads– I’ve got two reading pathways for you, depending on your needs.
If you’re like me, you made it pretty far in life without really understanding what Labor Day was celebrating or why it was created. That’s why it’s good that there are books like Philip Dray’s There is Power in a Union: the Epic Story of Labor in America to educate us about the history of labor movements in this country. From textile mills in the 1820s to the increasing mechanization of the 1990s, Dray traces the struggles, successes, and failures of workers to organize in favor of their rights such as to safe working conditions, fair compensation, paid time off, etc. It isn;t a simple valorization of unions, however; it covers the racist, sexist, and otherwise misguided history of some unions as well as the important victories for workers. And despite its 700-page length, it’s entertaining and energizing to read.
If you’d prefer some fiction, I’ve got that for you as well. Joyce Maynard is one of the greatest writers of her generation, and her 2009 novel Labor Day is proof. It follows Henry, a man in his early thirties looking back on the summer he was thirteen, when he and his depressed single mother had a fateful encounter with a mysterious man they find bleeding outside the grocery store. Over the same long weekend we’re about to have, Henry and his mother Adele experience life-altering things like love, jealousy, healing, and betrayal. Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet star in the movie version, which came out a few years later in 2014. If you’d rather read this unforgettable story in ebook or audio format, you can find the ebook on OverDrive or Hoopla, and the audiobook (which runs six hours and 15 minutes) on Hoopla.
Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great weekend and visit us again soon!
