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SWEATSHOPS IN PARADISE

Name: SWEATSHOPS IN PARADISE
Author: Virginia Lynn Sudbury
ISBN: 978-1475953794

A TRUE STORY OF SLAVERY IN MODERN AMERICA

by Virginia Lynn Sudbury ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 6, 2012

A fine memoir about a lawyer’s fight for workers’ rights.

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An attorney’s memoir of a notable case she argued on behalf of workers in American Samoa.

In a blend of personal stories, travelogue and courtroom drama, attorney Sudbury recounts a class-action lawsuit she filed on behalf of Vietnamese workers in a Samoan garment factory. The workers claimed that they found themselves in slavery-like conditions while they sewed “Made in America” labels onto clothing. The case began when several workers from the Daewoosa factory approached Sudbury and her husband to find out if they could help them recover unpaid wages. The Sudburys had settled in Samoa after several years in Baja, Calif., where they ran both a private law practice and an agency that supported abused women. Although Sudbury was initially reluctant, she agreed to take the case and became personally and emotionally involved as the challenges mounted. Daewoosa enjoyed support from the local government, and the workers had reason to believe their families in Vietnam would suffer as a result of the lawsuit. Sudbury’s frustration is palpable as she describes the pretrial process; excerpts from the courtroom transcripts make it clear to the reader that while American Samoa is, in part, governed by the laws of the United States, it’s also shaped by the local non-progressive culture. Although Sudbury and her allies fought hard for the workers’ rights, she acknowledges that the U.S. government brought real relief, by providing visas to the workers as victims of human trafficking. The government also brought criminal charges against Daewoosa’s owner that exacted a more substantial punishment than the lawsuit could. The author’s writing is engaging, if a bit unfocused at times. Sudbury sprinkles local color throughout the book, although some of the digressions on Samoan driving habits and traditional dress don’t blend seamlessly into the narrative. The story doesn’t end with a personal legal triumph, but Sudbury makes it clear in this book that she was pleased with the outcome, and changed by the experience.

A fine memoir about a lawyer’s fight for workers’ rights.

Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2012

ISBN: 978-1475953794

Page Count: 184

Publisher: iUniverse

Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.