Breaker Boys, Michael Burgan
Breaker Boys, Michael Burgan
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Breaker Boys
How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor

Author: Michael Burgan

Narrator: Various Narrators

Unabridged: 1 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Capstone Press

Published: 08/10/2017

Synopsis

Little boys, some as young as 6, spent their long days, not playing or studying, but sorting coal in dusty, loud, and dangerous conditions. Many of these breaker boys worked 10 hours a day, six days a week all for as little as 45 cents a day. Child labor was common in the United States in the 19th century. It took the compelling, heart breaking photographs of Lewis Hine and others to bring the harsh working conditions to light. Hine and his fellow Progressives wanted to end child labor. He knew photography would reveal the truth and teach and change the world. With his camera Hine showed people what life was like for immigrants, the poor, and the children working in mines, factories, and mills. In the words of an historian, the more than 7,000 photos Hine took of American children at work aroused public sentiment against child labor in a way that no printed page or public lecture could.

About Michael Burgan

Michael Burgan has written more than 250 books for children and young adults. His specialty is history, with an emphasis on biography. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in history, Burgan is also a produced playwright and the editor of The Biographer’s Craft, the newsletter for Biographers International Organization. He first started writing for children as an editor at Weekly Reader before beginning his freelance career in 1994. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tracey on February 27, 2012

Child labor was common in the United States in the 19th century. Children, sometimes as young as five or six, worked in tobacco companies, mills, and mines. The worst places were the mines, where young boys spent long days sorting coal in dirty and dangerous conditions. These young workers, called b......more

Goodreads review by Kellie on April 03, 2014

I debated between giving this book three or four stars. I personally didn't find it an entirely intriguing or great read. Just like a historical fiction, this informational text genre just isn't my cup of tea. Admittedly, I did more skimming of the pages than a detailed, engaged reading, and finishe......more

Goodreads review by Alicia on February 25, 2015

Understanding history through an image is a wonderful exploration-- many youth nonfiction titles do that like Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration. And that precise focus gives the rest of the story meaning. This title focuses on child labor, specifically how the......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on April 06, 2014

This book was very informational. It really caught my attention the way author was actually telling two stories at the same time. The first story is written to demonstrate the harsh conditions and exploitation of child labor in the 1800’s and the early 1900’s. The second story is about a journalist......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on February 23, 2013

I've long been an admirer of Lewis Hine and the photographs he took of kids at work, and this book brings much attention to one of those photographs. Hine took pictures of the coal mines in Pennsylvania, and this particular shot shows mostly children with blackened faces as they leave their dirty jo......more

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