Booktalking Colorado - Full Booktalk Record

Booktalking Colorado Full Record:

	Title:	Ashes of Roses
	Author:	Auch, Mary Jane
	Date Published:	2002
	Genre:	Historical Fiction
	Grade Level:	6 - 12
	Booktalker:	Marilyn Bunker

Booktalk:
It was March 25, 1911 Rose and Maureen walked to their jobs at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. There was a hint of spring in the air, and Maureen was so excited that it was her first day. Rose thought back to the day they arrived. America! The Land of Opportunity! Lady Liberty! Rose couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. Soft green color, she towered over the harbor like a giantess. Rose remembered the words of the poem, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” Well, they were poor all right, and after two weeks of being crammed in the bottom of the boat with her little brother screaming his head off, we certainly qualified as tired and huddled masses. “Here we are America,” Rose whispered. Rose’s family ended up at Ellis Island, and waited to pass the dreaded medical inspections. Everyone passed except for Joseph. He had trachoma, a disease of the eyes. Chaos erupted. Joseph couldn’t enter America. Well if Joseph couldn’t, did that mean we would all go back to Ireland? There was not enough money for that. It was decided that Da would go back to Ireland with Joseph and then earn money for another trip after Joseph got cured. At long last we set foot in America. We found Uncle Patrick’s apartment, but we surely were not welcomed. His wife, Elsa was not happy at the thought of sharing her home with Ma, Bridget, Maureen and me. After weeks of unhappiness, Uncle Patrick offered to pay all of our passages back to Ireland. Ma took Bridget and went back, but Maureen and I wanted to stay in America and make our way. We left Uncle Patrick’s apartment, and Rose went to look for a job and find a place to stay. She found a job making paper flowers and then she rented a tiny room from Mr. Garoff, and his daughter Gussie. She was a union organizer. Gussie was able to get Rose a better job with The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Rose was sewing. She was able to take care of herself and Maureen. Maureen was supposed to go to school, but she wanted to help too. So Gussie helped her to get a job. Rose had made so many new friends too. Rose Bellini and Rose Klein made Rose feel at home. Rose Klein lent Rose a dime novel that she shared with Maureen. The Roses and Maureen were all going to the nickelodeon, as soon as they got off work. Life thought, Rose, was turning out so well. America had become the land of opportunity. Rose was looking to see who would be passing out the pay envelopes. She got hers and looked at the twelve dollars that she made for two weeks of work. Then, as she was waiting in line to leave, there was a scream, Rose looked and saw a fire, the building was on fire, and the doors were locked. Would the Roses make it out of the building and what about Maureen?