Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States

by J. Albert Mann

For readers of Stamped and An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People, Albert J. Mann’s Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States is an accessible and comprehensive YA history of the way the labor movement has shaped America and how it intersects with many of the major issues facing modern teens.

“Mann explores the often oppressive, abusive, and bloody history of labor conditions and the merciless rise of capitalism with wit, snark, and comprehensive context.... Riveting, enlightening, infuriating, and timely: compulsory reading.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Its edgy title may attract attention, but it’s the compelling narrative and enlightening content that will keep readers engaged from cover to cover." --SLJ (starred review)

“Mann’s introduction to the history of labor is full of sharp, galvanizing points that will keep readers engaged and help them look critically at some of our entrenched systems.” —ALA Booklist

“The narrative’s laser focus on organizing heroes and essential employees, and the power of unions and striking workers to enact change, results in powerful storytelling.” —Publishers Weekly

You need to work to live.

That’s the truth for most people, and plenty of people in power have been abusing that truth for centuries.

Long before the first labor unions were formed, workers still knew what exploitation looked like. It looked like the enslavement of Black people. It looked like generations of children dying in dangerous jobs. It looked like wealthy people hiring private militaries to attack their employees.

But workers have always found a way to fight back. Lokono tribespeople resisted Columbus and his colonizers. Enslaved people led walkouts and rebellions. Textile workers demanded a wage that would let them have fun, not just survive. Miners died for the right to unionize. From 30,000 young seamstresses striking in the early 1900s to Uber drivers organizing for change today, people have learned we’re stronger when we are united.

Shift Happens is a smart, funny, and engaging look at the history of the worker actions that brought us weekends, pay equality, desegregation, an end to child labor, and so much more.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Social Justice, Labor, Audiobook, Teen, Historical

416 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2024

About the author

J. Albert Mann is a disability activist, an award-winning poet and the author of eight published novels for children. She has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults and is the Partner Liaison for the WNDB Internship Grant Committee. She lives on a little fishing boat in the Boston Harbor with her first mate, Marcella, a ginger tabby.

Reviews

[Cate Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

J. Albert Mann takes on a huge swath of history and makes it engaging, immediate and entertaining! My 16 yr old gobbled this up. A must for every library.

[Marianne Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for teens who want to understand the labor movement's impact on American history. Mann's witty, conversational style makes complex historical events easy to grasp. Covering everything from colonization to the modern gig economy, the book offers a fresh look at workers' struggles and triumphs. With short, engaging chapters and a focus on little-known events, Mann connects with teen readers, encouraging them to think critically about social justice and the power of working together. This book is a great tool for educating and inspiring young activists.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely look at the history of labor in the US and all the skeletons in its closet. A great read for whipsmart teens who want more from their non-fiction. Mann's deep dive is impressive and comprehensive and yet somehow, fun and interesting to boot.

[kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

my 100th book of 2024!

picked this up because the young adult nonfiction section at my job has doesn't move a lot and that makes my life harder. thankfully, my time was not wasted on this and i will absolutely be staff picking this book.

j. albert mann has created an incredibly accessible vehicle of knowledge with this book. all of the information is presented in a clear-cut way that regularly references important similar events in the past—something that is crucial when presenting historical information—and does so with a healthy amount of snark that is appropriate for the age group that the book is targeted at. the audiobook edition is narrated by sandy rustin, who does a wonderful job of applying the attitude the book puts forward.

in all honesty, this book would be great for anyone who wants to learn the basics of labor history in the united states. the literacy rate in the us is woefully low and even though the language in this book is pretty bare-bones, its also very straightforward and to the point. all of the chapters are pretty short and unintimidating, which is exactly what people need when the world seems to be spinning at the speed of light.

main takeaway is that the new york times loves to lie about poor people. no one is shocked.

[Mackenzie Marrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shift Happens is an incredible breakdown of the Labor Movement in the United States, starting from the VERY beginning. I've truly learned so much, and I'm goofy, but I got goosebumps listening to it. Don't let it being marketed to teens dissuade you from reading it, all that really means here is that it's more accessible to the everyman. Perfect for a larger audience!

I'm sure there were spots that she missed, or could have taken more time to discuss- but viewing this book as my main source of knowledge it was pretty great. I think more could have been done to discuss workers in Appalachia, and maybe a section on Black Wall Street (though it technically wasn't a labor movement, it lays out how the rich devastate anyone trying to get a leg up)

I'm sure the book will get flack for being pretty boldly leftist when discussing history, but that's kind of the way things go. Solidarity is ultimately a leftist ideal that benefits everyone!

And I highly recommend everyone to read this.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book about the history of labor in the United States. It discusses exploitation of workers including child workers, miners who wanted to unionize, textile workers wanting wages that would cover their expenses and have left over money and organizing Uber drivers.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic nonfiction YA book about the history of labor rights in the US. While that may not sound super interesting, it really did a great job at keeping my interested. It was very readable, and I enjoyed it a lot!

[Sioban Sedney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, it gave just a little deeper than surface level overview of labor history. The books spans a very long time period (1400s to present day) and discusses political, economical, and social aspects of the topic. The language definitely makes this book approachable for teens, but it is pretty hefty and I wonder at what point would this book be returned in the hands of a high schooler. Regardless, I thought it covered heavy topics in an engaging way and was well written.

[Lisa Kranz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book! US socio-economic inequity told through the lens of labor.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to follow!

[Camryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bread and roses‼️

I loved how the narrator, Sandy Rustin, was part of SAG-AFTRA :))

[Sarah Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it unbiased? No, but neither is your history textbook. This book reveals a side of US history that is sadly not very well known, or if it is known, it's taken for granted. Even as an adult I learned a lot.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. I generally consider myself to be well informed history wise, but there was So Much in this book that I didn't know about and have never thought about. Lots of really disturbing information about people struggling against the forces of capitalism throughout US history that was eye opening and thought provoking. It was a bit much to read straight through (though being aimed at a high school audience made it less intimidating than a book for adults might have been), but well worth it.

[Nyambura · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO SO GOOD

More tk

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for crafting a readable narrative, minus 2 for how sources are cited.

Does a pretty splendid job right out of the gate at drawing connections between the past and present. Starting with Christopher Columbus, the first several chapters are a whirlwind tour of colonization, subjugation of indigenous peoples, the beginnings of slavery, and the general exploitation by the wealthy of those less fortunate.

By chapter five (these are short, snappy chapters) we are on the cusp of the American Revolution. And even while the wealthiest chafe against England’s policies, they are pestered by the lower classes that think they should get a voice too. And while many things have changed over the last 250 years, most congresspeople even today are wealthy.

Chapter six pokes at the hard-working American ethic by pointing out that early success in this country was characterized by purchasing a source of unpaid labor, and then buying cheap stolen land, followed by making record profits and decrying the moral failures of the poor. The chapter then skewers our long history of treating corporations like people, with all the individual rights of one, all while diluting (or removing entirely) the attendant responsibilities.

Chapter ten follows the ups and downs of the economic depressions and labor fights of the nineteenth century. Part of this dynamic was rampant anti-immigrant sentiment.

In chapter 15 I’m reminded of Bowling Alone. One of the ways the workers are organizing in the late 19th century is by forming clubs. As is noted in the movie Join or Die (that follows the themes from Bowling Alone), clubs are a sign of community building and civic engagement. And in the escalation of the United States’ Gilded Age, clubs bonded workers and communities to each other.

At the end of chapter 45, there was an interesting moment when the author tries to claim that FDR signs an executive order banning discrimination in the federal government for the sole reason that A. Philip Randolph was pressuring him with a march on Washington. And I remembered reading in The First Ladies about what I think is that same executive order. But *that* author claimed that it was entirely the persuasion of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune that moved to FDR to sign that EO. And here we are again: it was both things. It was the persistent persuasion AND the persistent demonstration work by activists.

In Chapter 47: “In the first ten years of the Cold War, the United States built 1,500 atomic bombs (enough to destroy every major city in the world) to Russia’s approximate seventy-five ballistic missiles…” where does this claim come from? I don’t know. There’s no source.

Plowing through Cold War and Vietnam, Carter and Reagan, we arrive in chapter 61 at NAFTA where the author makes the following point: corporations could freely move through Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. But workers could not do the same with their labor—not with the same ease.

She gets all the way through the economic downturn of 2008 and the Covid pandemic beginning in 2020. Looking at how corporations (not small businesses) fared during the pandemic and in its aftermath, it’s hard not to be discouraged by looking along the long track of this history. The author tries to draw notice to the progress that happened due to the workers’ activism, but never have I felt the full weight of every struggle to get even the most basic human accommodations in the workplace.

On the surface I was already familiar with most of the labor history in this book, but only in the most general sense. Pulling the history of labor out as the highlight, while leaving the rest of U.S. History as background context draws attention to some pretty glaring patterns. By stringing all of the labor movement movements together one after another, the deep intertwining of corporations and government working together to undermine workers becomes harder to ignore. One of the things that is new to me is the idea that some of the union successes were only for “elite” workers, leaving unskilled labor out in the dust, but creating this illusion of major progress.

Key complaint: No easily accessible foot- or end-notes. At less than seven chapters in, I was already highly irritated. By chapter 47 I was furious. We should be making sources MORE transparent and EASIER to find. Not hiding them in the back as though using sources is shameful or unnecessary. I understand that note numbers in the text can sometimes be a distraction, but this is awful. I enjoyed the narrative, but without easily accessible sources, this loses so much value and leaves me deeply frustrated.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way to make learning about history riveting. I wanted to take my time soaking up the narrative style of information presented that goes in a generally linear fashion around the country be it coal miners or railroad, textiles and cars.

I think the choice to make short chapters with fun titles adds to the movement of the book in addition to not digging so deep into the politics, industry, or people that it feels daunting but giving just enough that I could find four books about the Pullman Strike to visit if Mann's touching on the topic wasn't enough.

It's history we didn't know we needed to know but are better for reading it. It's the kind of nonfiction I like and I think the readership will appreciate the style and writing choices to keep the flow and deliver an important element of everyone's life: work and how we got where we are from where we've been and the people who fought, died, or warred about things like work hours, protections, and child labor.

And to end with the recent phenomena of gig workers who are not really employed by these big companies because they're deemed independent contractors was eye-opening!

"By 1834, workers had organized the first national union. It proposed that every working person be supported by all working people. Solidarity: the ultimate working-class superpower. The new National Trades' Union came up with a list of the demands of working people: National minimum wages. National working hours. Public education. Free lending libraries. At this time in US history, there was no public education or public libraries, but there was forced military service and debtors' prison. Men needed to show up for military service three times a year, and if they missed any, they were fined $12- about three weeks' salary. Meanwhile, the rich paid their twelve bucks and stayed home. If the penalty for a crime is a fine, it is only a crime for people who can't afford it."

"Those still alive on the ninth floor stood in the broken windows looking down at the street, grappling with an awful choice. People on the street, one of whom was Frances Perkins, screamed up at the young women not to jump. But would they rather burn? They jumped. Some held hands. Some hugged one another. All of them died. A reporter standing below wrote: "I learned a new sound- a more horrible sound than description can picture. It was the thud of a speeding, living body on a stone sidewalk. Thud-dead, thud-dead, thud-dead, thud-dead. Sixty-two thud, deads. The fire department arrived. Their ladders didn't reach high enough. More women jumped... The two owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory got themselves the best lawyer in town. They were found not guilty. On top of this, the insurance company paid them thousands of dollars for the burned factory (none of which went to the dead workers' families). Two years later, their new factory was fined for locking doors again. They paid $20."

"Eight months after the pandemic began, California voted in Proposition 22, a new law allowing app-based companies to classify their 300,000 workers as independent contractors- basically as self-employed. Self-employed and delivering food for a single company. Self-employed and delivering packages for a single company. Self-employed and delivering people- to work, to dinner to anywhere- for a single company. Welcome to the world, little gig worker. Hailed as freedom for workers by tech corporations, the reality of gig work is much less romantic: working a bunch of jobs without being paid minimum wage, healthcare, overtime, vacation time, or sick time. Corporations like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates, and Instacart poured $218 million into the "Yes on Propo 22" campaign to pass the law, because not paying people benefits saves them heaps of money."

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

J. Albert Mann attempts to do for the labor movement what Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds did for the history of racism in American in Stamped, providing a thorough retelling of the history of labor in the United States that directly appeals to teenagers.

Mann’s history is expansive, beginning with Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus and tracing labor’s history in the United States up to the present. The chapters are short, but her bibliography and source notes are extensive, and she tries to provide quotations directly from primary sources and newspapers of the time period. The labor movement isn’t always a focus in history classes (we certainly learned quite a bit from Mann’s book), and we appreciate the effort to make this part of history accessible and appealing to young people.

That being said, however, Mann lacks the scholarly credibility of Kendi and Reynolds’s natural ability to connect to teenagers, which does merit mentioning, especially since it’s being marketed directly to readers of Stamped. Mann has a clear perspective and she presents a fairly one-sided view of history in which the heroic workers stand up to the villainous capitalists. There is, certainly, a lot of truth in what she has to say, but it’s oversimplified in a way that could cause problems in some communities. Her attempts to “write like a teenager” (including the use of profanity) feel a bit awkward, though they get significantly better as the book goes along.

We do think this is a worthwhile read for students, particularly those who are interested in history, but you’ll want to recommend with caution in some instances.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

This review will be posted on https://threeheads.works/category/blo... on June 17, 2024.

[Sunny Welker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this non-fiction book on the history of labor in America. Let me fully acknowledge its bias toward labor and still day it gives a quick and comprehensive history. The short chapters make the information easily digestible. The horror of the violence against workers makes it one understand why it's worthwhile to read. The humor the author uses helps the understanding to stick.

As a teacher (and a union member), I am simultaneously ago at how desperately the company owners want/need to grow their profits.. even to the point of starvation of death of it's workers. Then, I'm also so proud at ALL those who came before and risked life and quality of life to stand up for the ideas of The Declaration of Independence. And for all those who stood and stand in solidarity and fed strikers and their families and harbored their children... thank you.

I am not a socialist but I think there's enough to allow the wealthy to remain wealthy and still give the workers bread and roses.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

After skimming a few pages, I thought this would be a mostly factual explanation of labor and economics in our country. So I then began to read it from the first chapter, which described an Italian man (Christopher Columbus), a Spanish King and Queen, and near extinction of the natives of the Bahamas, and the chapter was summed up with: "Welcome to the history of labor in the United States." Huh?

In the midst of every chapter thereafter, I turned to the author's source notes. Some of the "facts" were actually without a source. I attempted to research some of the claims which I had never heard of and was unable to verify that they were true-sometimes because the author was inserting her opinion. I started to get annoyed, as the book very quickly was anti-capitalism. The writing was very sarcastic and one-sided. After about 40 pages, I began to skip ahead to other chapters. It made me sad because I wanted a factual, unbiased history, but the author is certainly entitled to write a book with her personal slant.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of important histories, and I appreciate how it readdresses familiar topics and people (such as WWII and Martin Luther King Jr.) from a labor perspective. The chapters are short and go by very fast, but I'm not sure how I feel about the overall tone, which tries to be silly at times to counterbalance the horrors of history. On the one hand, I get why that might make this topic more approachable for some people. But on the other hand, it reminds me of books such as "It's Not You, It's Capitalism," which have great messages but are packaged with a brevity that's unnecessary for me and which feels cheapening at times. Still, this is a good read and a great introduction for folks interested in learning more about the labor movement. It can be disheartening to realize that we haven't progressed as far as we "should have" by the present day, but it's also a good way to be galvanized to continue the fight for workers' rights ourselves.

[Danielle Grise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew some of this, but wow! Reading this alongside the book Dark Money (a book about how a small group of billionaires has created the conservative right), has opened my eyes wider about the strength of corporations in this country. Workers have been fighting for a fair wage, safe conditions, and access to health care for so long. I think this is an important book for people to read, because there's so much we have not been told on so many levels. This would be a great companion book in a U.S. history class. I understand the criticism that the context isn't always there, but the notes section and the bibliography are quite extensive. I think that this book, like Stamped and Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, (and Dark Money), is telling some truths that are completely the opposite of what we have read and been taught in our history books.

[Jamie Magnuson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was super excited to read this book because it felt like an accessible way to learn about working inequality from past to present. Unfortunately, while accessible and interesting, it was set up so that it was difficult to retain any information due to lack of context.

This book read like a bulleted list of every major strike that’s happened since the formation of the US (and there have been many). It was hard to keep track of which was happening where and the historical significance of a strike wasn’t always clear.
On the flip side, sometimes the author would skim over laws being passed that helped or hurt unions/the working class and wouldn’t detail what factors pushed those laws into being. The book focuses on the lives of the working class, so I understand Mann likely didn’t want to get too far off topic but it would’ve added context.

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

That opening chapter is perfection. Let's be honest about history. This happened to actual human beings.
I love the writing style. It is fun and modern and terrifying. Like dark chats with my anti capitalist friends. I love the line about the press! I do most of my historical research by reading through old newspaper archives.
We no longer have anything like that.
I also love the explanation about how working all the time and being productive was seen as patriotic and American. We still live with this. This is our culture. Other countries get paid time off, they get weeks and months, and we get maybe a few hours if we have good jobs. We are huge on the hustle and grind culture as well.
This might be my favorite nonfiction book this year.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Honestly, the main takeaway from this is that the rich will do anything to stay rich, even if it means putting other people in the worst working conditions humanly possible. There are patterns that repeat themselves throughout history, and the way that Mann breaks this down is fascinating.

The overall tone is accessible to teens, I think, written in a way that's easy to follow. The labor movement in the US isn't one often covered extensively in US history classes (with the exception of a few major events), and this is a nice supplement to that. Overall, really well done, even if it might not be the most popular subject for teens.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome text. It's written at a YA-level, but it's interesting and informative for adults as well. I would say I have a decent grasp on labor history and this book still taught me a lot. It's a cohesive history of American Labor that turns the prism of historical perspective to the left and lets the a new light shine in the process.

And, bc I am me, I was moved to tears at times by the retelling of the great sacrifices of those who have given their health, their abilities, their freedom, and their lives for Labor and bc of the violence of greed and capitalism.

A+, wish I could work it into my curriculum.

[Lorri G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew the history of labor organizing could be such a page turner? Mann does an incredible job of synthesizing a huge amount of information into a gripping story, in which even though the bad guys tend to win, the right side keeps fighting the good fight. The book is based on original research and analysis, and never parrots cliches. The style is engaging, like having a super smart, snarky friend telling you stories. The tone stays buoyant and hopeful, even in the face of so much adversity. Knowing this history can change the way people understand today's world. Highly recommended for both teens and adults.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging YA history of the American labor movement. The subject matter is of course very interesting, even if the history of labor can be kind of a tough read. There's a lot of death and setbacks and it often feels like barely treading water while drowning. That's just how it is, sadly, and representing labor history in any other way would be a falsely Pollyanna version. Mann's tone helped me keep going. It's conversational, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes angry, but it always felt like hearing all of this from a real and relatable person. Perfect for YA narrative nonfiction. This may be a little longer than a lot of teens are willing to pick up, though.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the often missed parts of history in Social Studies is studying the labor movement. The history of labor and its history is vital to understanding our country. The history of it reflects the rights we have as workers and traces the strides organizers have made in the past.

Mann connects with young people through her riveting text and brings to light many historical events that don't end up in standard textbooks such as the Thibodaux Massacre of 1887 in Louisiana and the 1914 Ludlow Massacre in Colorado. A must read for teens.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting look at the history of labor in the United States. Much of it was really interesting and well researched, while other parts relied on attributing intention where none was given, or oversimplifying complex global events into far too distilled sentences to give any depth or meaning other than to make a specific point. I enjoyed it though. Lots of interesting moments both big and small throughout history that have made an impact for better or worse on the everyday life of your typical wage worker.

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is technically a YA book on the history of labor unions, I think this book is a great introduction for anyone about the topic.

The writing is very accessible and the chapters are short and so even though the book spans from Columbus to present day (2023) it does feel boring and dull.

While as a economics and us history teacher nothing was new to me in this book, I honestly was interested throughout and think this is a worthwhile book especially with the state of the economy today (2025).

5 stars