Fighting for Crumbs is a gripping tale of resilience, justice, and the cost of progress. It is told through the experiences of workers fighting to hold onto dignity in a world that does not publicly recognize their contributions.
Over forty years after the Civil War, Virginia still smolders with old hatreds. When Sarah Mathews stumbles upon a brutal lynching on her neighbor’s plantation, she becomes an unwilling witness to a horrific crime. Her silence spares her life, but not her safety. Fearing retribution from the wealthy, ruthless landowner, her parents send her north—to the tenements of New York City.
In the bustling chaos of Little Italy, Sarah movies in with a cousin. A job in a small garment factory and an attraction to her boss, Silvio, offers the hope of happiness. The chemistry between Sarah and Silvio is instant. But, he draws a line on getting involved romantically with his employees. The spark between them is strong, and what begins as a quiet yearning becomes a love that neither can deny.
But ruthless competition forces him to sell his business to the notorious Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Sarah’s job moves to the factory and she enters a world of grueling labor and silent suffering.
When fire erupts, 146, mostly young, female, immigrant workers, perish behind locked doors. Sarah is no longer a bystander. She knows why they couldn’t escape and she becomes a fierce voice for justice.
Fighting for the truth to be known for those who died in the fire leads to her activism , first in the labor movement and, the, in women’s voting rights movements, She endures arrest, violence, and public scorn to demand change. Inspired by true events, this is the story of one woman’s awakening, and the fire that turned silence into revolution.
This historical fiction novel, illuminates life in America before safety-net protections existed Through the journey of Sarah Matthews—from bystander to impassioned activist—the story explores the harsh realities of early 20th-century America and the forces that gave rise to social reform. The storytelling blends historical insight with emotional depth, offering a powerful reminder of why safety nets and equal rights were fought for—and why they still matter.
“What the woman who labors wants is the right to live, not simply exist.”
—Rose Schneiderman, labor and suffragette activist
Sarah and her factory co-workers