Liberty's Dawn
A People's History of the Industrial Revolution

Good, and thought-provoking, but with a couple of holes A very interesting revisionist look at the lives of the working class in the Industrial Revolution. Griffin, while acknowledging that some aspects of said people's lives worsened, primarily in the matter of child labor, that, on the whole, on ave......more

Well researched and well written, Griffin seeks to rebalance the view of the British industrial revolution as a disaster for the working person by referring to the writings of those who lived through it - working people. This is an admirable aim and her writing is generally convincing. She is not st......more

Detailed, but wordy Others, obviously, may find this author's style captivating, but it is not for me. I find the discussion tends to be circular, going back over ground to repeat a point several times. Also, the voice of the author seems to reflect the period, and for me makes for a heavy read. In s......more

Continuing my research into the writings of 'ordinary'/working class people in the nineteenth century. This one's a treasure trove of references. It is also one of a growing number of books that suggest that amidst the poverty and suffering of industrial Britain, there were realised layer on layer b......more