City of Grit and Gold

Gr 4–6—Twelve-year-old Addie struggles to understand the tumultuous political upheavals of Chicago in 1886 as her family and community are torn apart by the events surrounding the Haymarket Affair. Sensitive, perceptive Addie lives a relatively comfortable life with her German immigrant family in a Jewish neighborhood of Chicago. Her father and uncle own a hat shop together, and she and her family always have plenty of food to eat. Just as Addie's beloved uncle Chaim becomes involved in the union workers' protests calling for an eight-hour day, events escalate. Protests turn violent as police crack down harshly on those marching in the streets, and Addie's father, who worries that the demonstrations will reflect poorly on all immigrants and hurt his business, becomes enraged at Uncle Chaim for taking part in the movement and casts him out of the family home. Things go from bad to worse as Addie finds herself in the middle of a protest in Chicago's Haymarket Square when a bomb is thrown into a crowd of policemen. Powell brings this historical event to life with admirable attention to detail. A well-rounded collection of characters offer opposing perspectives of the events and life in Chicago at that time. Young readers will grow along with Addie as she learns about the hardships of poverty and the complexity of politics.