YA+HIstorical+Fiction

This is a great website for teachers working with the chapter book Bread and Roses, Too! []

I'm always concerned with a couple of aspects of historical fiction –the first is its simple historical accuracy. Does the book depict actual events, perhaps with real characters interwoven with fictional ones and does it reliably portray these events? That’s a pretty straightforward question. More subtle is my other concern which has to do with misrepresentions in tone, action, language etc. With the number of people who seem to think the DaVinci Code has any relationship to history—I’d say we’d failed to teach a lot of people about being critical about historical fiction. It’s nice to connect these books to the sites/incidents which they purport to portray. And of course, you can enjoy them as FICTION....just making it clear that’s what they are seems important.

Massmoments is a wonderful site to find information about the Bread and Roses Strike. [] and it will lead you to the good teacher’s website: []

And here are both the poem and song lyrics: As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day, A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray, Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses, For the people hear us singing: "Bread and roses! Bread and roses!" As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men, For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread. Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew. Yes, it is bread we fight for -- but we fight for roses, too! As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days. The rising of the women means the rising of the race. No more the drudge and idler -- ten that toil where one reposes, But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
 * **Poem**

[|James Oppenheim], published in //[|The American Magazine]// in December 1911, || **Song Lyrics** As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day, A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray, Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses, For the people hear us singing: Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses! As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men, For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses. As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread. Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew. Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too. As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days, The rising of the women means the rising of the race. No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes, But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and roses.

Oppenheim's poem was set to music in 1976 by [|Mimi Fariña] and has been recorded by various artists, including [|Judy Collins], [|Ani DiFranco], [|Utah Phillips], [|John Denver], and Josh Lucker. ||

And you should be aware that Harvard’s Open Collections includes these materials: []

Using Historical Fiction in the Classroom: [] [] [] (CAK 12/3/09)