Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner is a historical fiction novel about labor for women in the 1910s. The story introduces Raisa, a 14 year old Jewish girl from Poland who traveled to America in hopes of finding her sister, Henda. On the ship sailing to America, she meets Zusa, an Italian traveling to America to meet the rest of her family, and Brina, a young girl of 5 whose mother died during the journey. When they get to America, Raisa is separated from Zusa and forced to fend for herself and Brina. She spends the next few days looking for a place for her and Brina to stay, but with no work, people don’t want to take her in fear of her having no rent money. She ends up at a synagogue, and meets Gavrel, a boy about her age who invites her to stay at his parents’ house. Raisa meets the Kamenskys, who take her and Brina in and help her get a job. She finds work at a clothing store, and though the boss is harsh and the pay is not good, she
stays there. Raisa attends English classes to help her learn English, and meets Luciana, who helps her find work at the Triangle Shirtwasit Factory, where the pay and boss is better, but Raisa still feels bored after a while.  She and Gavrel fall in love, and attempt to keep it a secret from his parents.One day when work is ending, there is a fire at the factory, and Raisa finds herself in the middle of it.

-Sophie