Audacity book cover
9-12

Audacity

By Melanie Crowder

A 2015 National Jewish Book Award finalist

The 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.

 

Powerful, breathtaking, and inspiring, Audacity is the story of a remarkable young woman, whose passion and selfless devotion to her cause changed the world.

 

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Colorado
    • Colorado Book Award, 2017
  • Oregon
    • Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB), 2019-2020
  • Ohio
    • Arnold Adoff Poetry Award, 2017
  • New York
    • NYC Reads 365 Reading List
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, 2017-2018
  • Tennessee
    • Volunteer State Book Award, 2018-2019
  • Virginia
    • Jefferson Cup Book Award, 2016

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