National Jewish Book Award Finalist • Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book • YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Top 10 pick • Colorado Book Award Finalist • Nerdy Book Award • Amelia Bloomer List • Mighty Girl Book • Best Books of the Year, Bank Street College • Best Books of the Year, New York Public Library • Best Jewish Children’s Books of 2015, Tablet Magazine • Best Children’s Books for April, The Washington Post • Editor’s Choice, Bookbrowse.com • Top Pick, BookPage.com
* “Crowder breathes life into a world long past….Compelling, powerful and unforgettable.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* “This book stands alone….an impactful addition to any historical fiction collection.”–School Library Journal, starred review
* “…graceful, affecting poetry…” —BCCB, starred review
* “…an excellent title…” —School Library Connection, starred review
“It’s thrilling to watch this young woman grow from questioning her role as an untutored Jewish daughter to a firebrand.” –The Washington Post
Discussion Guide for book clubs & schoolsThe inspiring story of Clara Lemlich, whose fight for equal rights led to the largest strike by women in American history
A gorgeously told novel in verse written with intimacy and power, AUDACITY is inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich, a spirited young woman who emigrated from Russia to New York at the turn of the twentieth century and fought tenaciously for equal rights. Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. For years, Clara devotes herself to the labor fight, speaking up for those who suffer in silence. In time, Clara convinces the women in the factories to strike, organize, and unionize, culminating in the famous Uprising of the 20,000.