Everybody works. It's a fact of our reality and something we don't think much about. But Mann digs in deep. From the first Europeans arriving in the colonies this book explores the evolution of work and worker's rights. The tone is very conversational to the point of dipping into slang so it will be engaging for young readers but not especially impressive for adults who may take a look along the way. Even so, the information relayed in this text is important enough to be worth reading.

I really enjoyed this book, it gave a look at the history of U. S. labor from the 15th century to the present time is presented a viewpoint not usually taught in most history books. The author analyzes the major eras in history by showing how capitalism and oppression work to serve the interests of corporations and government. The “pyramid of oppression” used the division of indigenous people vs colonists, indentured vs landed, white vs Black, men vs women, and foreign vs native born to create artificial antagonism that served rich white male owners. The author shows that labor’s fight is still relevant in the 21st century as the gap between rich and poor is as wide as it was a century and a half ago. This book definitely presents a leftist look at labor, but one that is hard to argue with considering the author’s comprehensive research. Interested readers can follow up with the extensive source notes and bibliography, and there’s a table of contents and an index. I think this book was a good read, very interesting and accessible to young readers. I have already ordered this book for our school library.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc to preview.

This is a solidly-written nonfiction title detailing the history of labor, in a format very accessible to teens! It is very engaging with a good dose of humor and whit to keep a historical topic engaging for younger readers. This would be a great addition to a social studies or history classroom, or for a teen interested in labor rights.

That opening chapter is perfection. Let's be honest about history. This happened to actual human beings.
I love the writing style. It is fun and modern and terrifying. Like dark chats with my anti capitalist friends. I love the line about the press! I do most of my historical research by reading through old newspaper archives.
We no longer have anything like that.
I also love the explanation about how working all the time and being productive was seen as patriotic and American. We still live with this. This is our culture. Other countries get paid time off, they get weeks and months, and we get maybe a few hours if we have good jobs. We are huge on the hustle and grind culture as well.
This might be my favorite nonfiction book this year.

A history of labor movements in the United States for Teens.

This would be a great addition to any YA collections, especially school libraries. This could be a powerful book for high school US history classes. It covers many labor movements and how businesses protect the owners and abuse the workers. I think a lot of teens will be able to relate to the history with their first jobs.

J. Albert Mann attempts to do for the labor movement what Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds did for the history of racism in American in Stamped, providing a thorough retelling of the history of labor in the United States that directly appeals to teenagers.

Mann’s history is expansive, beginning with Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus and tracing labor’s history in the United States up to the present. The chapters are short, but her bibliography and source notes are extensive, and she tries to provide quotations directly from primary sources and newspapers of the time period. The labor movement isn’t always a focus in history classes (we certainly learned quite a bit from Mann’s book), and we appreciate the effort to make this part of history accessible and appealing to young people.

That being said, however, Mann lacks the scholarly credibility of Kendi and Reynolds’s natural ability to connect to teenagers, which does merit mentioning, especially since it’s being marketed directly to readers of Stamped. Mann has a clear perspective and she presents a fairly one-sided view of history in which the heroic workers stand up to the villainous capitalists. There is, certainly, a lot of truth in what she has to say, but it’s oversimplified in a way that could cause problems in some communities. Her attempts to “write like a teenager” (including the use of profanity) feel a bit awkward, though they get significantly better as the book goes along.

We do think this is a worthwhile read for students, particularly those who are interested in history, but you’ll want to recommend with caution in some instances.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

This review will be posted on https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on June 17, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and HarperCollins Children's Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States on June 4, 2024.

I'll be candid -- I'm not a nonfiction girlie. This was an accidental download after I won a pack of eARCs in a giveaway, and I didn't get that far into it. HOWEVER, based on the cover, chapter titles, and first few pages I read, this definitely seems like an approachable nonfiction book for teens and adults interested in the history of labor in the US. The writing was engaging, the chapters short, and the information (seemingly) well-researched. If you want a quick and easy nonfiction read, this seems to be your book!

I will be purchasing this book for my Young Adult non-fiction collection. The writing style is great for the teens to comprehend and relate to. I thought it was funny and captivating. The title is unique and the cover is eye-catching. .