This Young Readers Edition of Fight Like Hell tells the story of the American labor movement through profiles of some of the diverse people who fought for workers’ rights at various times and places. Among the people profiled are Bayard Rustin, the Black, gay man who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, and Joni Christian, the transgender woman and assembly line worker who fought for trans rights in the workplace after being shunned and harassed after transitioning.
Author Kim Kelly takes a broad, intersectional approach, showing how workers’ rights have deep connections to civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights. And while the people she profiles are clearly heroes in many ways, she’s not afraid to show their foibles and imperfections. They were “tough, determined, messy and complicated human beings just like you and me.” That approach will likely make them more relatable to young readers, and perhaps more likely to inspire similar efforts in them. Highly recommended.
