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Audacity

Author Melanie Crowder

$12.99 US

Penguin Young Readers | Viking Books for Young Readers

24 per carton

On sale Jan 05, 2016 | 9780147512499

Age 12 and up

Reading Level: Lexile 1120L

Sales rights: World

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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.

clouds

Over the grey plain of the sea
                                    winds are gathering the storm-clouds

Words
float like wayward clouds
in the air
in my mind.

                                    Now his wing the wave

Wait—
or was it,

                                    Now the wave his wing caresses

I dip a hand
into my apron pocket
unfold a square of paper
against my palm,
hunch my shoulder,
hide it from view.

Ah,

yes.

                                    Now his wing the wave caresses,
                                    now he rises like an arrow
                                    cleaving clouds
                                    and

The poem is ripped
from my hand
and the air,
where only wayward clouds
had been,
is full of shouting,
accusations
a hand raised in anger
            ready to strike—

the world slows
in the second before
pain blooms
in my jaw;
       a second
to hope
the poem is
safe
in my mind
where fists
    and fury
cannot shake it free.

ordinary

Just because I am
small boned
and short,
brown haired
and brown eyed,
just because I look

common
as a wren
meek
as a robin

that does not mean
what is inside me is also

common
as a wren
meek
as a robin.

Everything
I wish for
is strange
aberrant
even wrong in this place
but I know
I cannot be the only one
blanketing her bright feathers
hooding her sharp eyes
hiding
in plain sight.

My life
            so far
has been ordinary
simple
small

but I cannot shake the feeling
that inside this little body
something stronger
is nesting
waiting
for a chance
to flex her talons
snap her wings
      taut
and glide
far away
from here.

Praise for AUDACITY:

A 2015 National Jewish Book Award finalist
A Washington Post Best Children’s Books for April: Poetry Edition
An ILA Notable Book for a Global Society
A 2016 NCTE Children's Notable Verse Novel
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
An ALA Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick
An ALSC Notable Children's Book nominee
A BCCB Blue Ribbon winner

* "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

* "With a thorough historical note, glossary of terms, and bibliography, this will make an excellent complement to units on women’s rights and the labor movement, but it will also satisfy readers in search of a well-told tale of a fierce heroine."--BCCB, starred review

* "This is an excellent title that can open discussions in U.S. history and economics courses about women’s rights, labor unions, and the immigrant experience."--School Library Connection, starred review

"Based on the true story of Clara Lemlich, Audacity throbs with the emotions of this exceptional young woman who fought for equal rights and improved labor standards in factories. Melanie Crowder’s verses spit out Clara’s rage, cradle her longing and soar like the birds that are her constant companions."--Bookpage

“Crowder’s (Parched) use of free verse in this fictionalization of Russian-Jewish immigrant Clara Lemlich’s life brings a spare poignancy to a familiar history.”--Publishers Weekly

“Audacity is an evocative reimagining of a fascinating historical figure who should be remembered for her determination in the face of great odds and powerful opposition—and for her role in changing America. Melanie Crowder’s powerful verse reveals a long-past world, but the combination of hope and outrage that Clara Lemlich brought to her struggle should be both recognizable and inspirational to teen readers longing to right the injustices of our day.”—Margaret Peterson Haddix, critically acclaimed, bestselling author of Uprising

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