Live Working or Die Fighting ─ How the Working Class Went Global

British journalist Mason tells stories of labor struggles that even labor historians do not know, let alone other historians, and to say nothing of the general public--literate or not. The neglect can be traced partly to the defeats and fragmentation of working class communities during the 1980s and 1990s, he says, but even before that, labor history was long dominated by Marxist theory, which emphasizes the clash of abstract and ahistorical forces rather than the sweat and tears of individual workers. Among the nine stories are the silk weavers' 1831 revolt in Lyon, how American workers invented May Day, how German workers tried to stop the war, and when workers controlled the factories. In each case, he connects events of the past--mostly among white men in Europe and the US--with ongoing struggles around the world newly infected with capitalism. Many of the modern tales have been added since the 2007 first edition, published by Harvell Secker. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)