Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor

We bought this book as a supplement to the audio CD below.After listening to the CD and getting this book, we weren't expecting the wonderful surprise of interest it all generated in our family! Unbelievably powerful!Oh, and the photographer is Lewis Hine.This book is a wonderful supplement to this story and going deeper into the era!http://www.amazon.com/Counting-Grace-Elizabeth-Winthrop/dp/0739339028/ref=tmm_abk_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392225012&sr=8-1Two years ago we listened to the audio CD (six CDs).I am STILL recommending it to friends.Highly recommend the audio CD!I had originally got it mainly for our 10 y.o. to listen to while in the car I had planned for other things for our younger kids to do while DS was listening. We ALL were so into it! (Age range 4-10 and myself!) The kids would immediately ask for me to turn it back on to continue whenever we got in the car. After we finished the CDs, they as to hear it AGAIN! It was just as good the second time.As far as audio CDs go, they are often only as good as the reader. This one definitely hits the mark! This reader is wonderful and easy to listen to. Not boring at all! Moves along smoothly and quickly.Don't skip the author interview at the end! This too is fabulous! Provides so much interesting insight into the story. Do not listen to the interview first, it may skew your vision of the story a bit.There is also a free teacher's guide at the author's website.[...]These would make a delightful gift pairing for any child.

Freedman has collected dozens of black and white photographs taken by Lewis Hine during the first decades of the twentieth century. Hine worked as an investigational photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). The NCLC wanted the United States government to pass laws concerning child labor, and thought that photos of the work children did would be more effective persuaders than mere speeches and statistics. Hine traveled the nation with his camera taking photographs, sometimes despite risk to his person.The text of the book serves partly as a brief biography of Lewis Hine, and partly as explanatory backdrop for the scenes in the photographs. Freeman gives enough background information to put the images in their context, but not so much data as to overwhelm the reader. The machines, tools and environments are so strange to the modern eye that without clarification, many pictures would be meaningless.The most shocking photographs in the collection are of the young boys involved in the coalmines. The filth on their faces, hands and clothing is astonishing. By comparison, the dangers and deplorable conditions of working in a cotton mill are not as readily apparent as those of working in a coal mine. However, reading Freeman's text exposes the dangers of moving machinery and smothering lint and humidity not so clear in the photos.The book concludes by sharing the changes in child labor laws that Hine's photographs helped bring about, as well as information on the child labor situation of today.This book is full of eye opening and shocking information for the unaware. School may be hard, but without child labor laws things could be so much worse.

A sadly little known fact: 100 years ago children in this country followed Africans and immigrants as the slaves du jor. Who was their emancipator? Public school teachers, and specifically Lewis Hine, whose photographic work has had a comeback thanks to Neil Peart and Rush using modified photos of his in one of their videos (Working Those Angels). While the TV keeps lying about teachers and schools being the enemy (because educated people don't buy their crap or watch many of their shows), the descendants of those mine and factory owners get their revenge through their lackey politicians that continue to undermine schools financially, institutionally, and culturally (No Child Left Behind, less funding, name calling, etc.). This book will hopefully wake people (especially children) up to what 80% of the world faces to this day and make us realize we are the luckiest people in the world to have a school system where a child can choose whatever they want to be (unlike the so-called superior European and Asian school systems). The only other solution to this flood of ingratitude would be expatriation or time travel, both of which are impractical. Remember the true heroes, the ones who keep civilization afloat, who risked the death penalty teaching slaves, who are always targeted first in a military dictatorship. Stop the negativity and remember who the real bad guys are--anyone who denies you an education.

This is important photographic history, though written with an anticapitalist slant. While child labor was certainly a black mark on our nation's history when taken in the context of today's accepted thinking, at the time period children worked much harder on farms. Most of these children came from farm families that were forced into the city by lean crop yields. With massive crowding and families in need of money, children were once again expected to contribute to the family's income, just as on the farm. The end of child labor under such conditions should be celebrated.

How appalling this kind of “work” went on. Seems unreal today, but we know it happened!

Great photos, makes you think.

This is a great little volume. Although it's theoretically for students, I believe adults would find it riveting. First of all, the photos taken by Lewis Hine tell the narrative on their own. However, Russell Freedman, as always, provides insight and thoughtful commentary worthwhile for younger and older readers. In terms of "how it is," I'm referring to child labor (often child slavery) as it exists today in other parts of the world. Looking at these pictures helps to make the plight of those children more real and more urgent.

Excelente edición y muy barato para la calidad de su contenido. Lo recomiendo.

Excellent book about how children where treated early last century in the work place. Hats off to Lewis Hine for photographing their plight. A first class book.

"Leegere" queste fotografie per non vedere più bambini ritratti al lavoro. Anche se queste immagini sono di una portata storica dirompente: di tempi in cui questo poteva avvenire perchè di diritti sanciti ce n'erano meno. Oggi abbiamo forse più regole e forse anche più violazioni: le immagini di questo libro ci parlano di piccoli "grandi", al lavoro, con un orgoglio indomito negli occhi.

habe das buch für meine frau als geschenk gekauft,da sie sich mit "sozial schwachen" kindern und jugendlichen beschäftigt. doch mir hat das (auf den ersten blick) mindestens genauso gefallen wie ihr. es sind viele wirklich gute bis sehr gute fotografien dabei.

Et si on revenait vers cet univers de cauchemar si bien photographié, au cœur de l'action, par Lewis Hine ? si l'inhumain capitalisme triomphant, après avoir ruiné les familles, obligeait des enfants de 10 ans ou moins, à travailler à nouveau au sein d'usines inhumaines ? Fasse que ces images qui soulèvent le cœur des plus endurcis, soient vues et revues pour éviter le retour de ces temps maudits.HINE n'était pas seulement un photographe de très très grand talent, produisant des images crues de la réalité qu'il côtoyait sans chercher à l'adoucir, il était aussi un sociologue plein de compassion dont les images ont contribué, aux États Unis, à faire interdire le travail des enfants.À découvrir ou à redécouvrir avec admiration.