OUT OF THE FLAME
At the turn of the 20th century, a young factory worker is surrounded by deafening noise, blisteringly hot glass, and mind-numbing exhaustion. There is no end in sight until he finds mysterious notes from a boy who lived this life 150 years earlier.
If you were a child from a poor family who lived between 1870 and 1920, there is a good chance that your day was spent working in a factory or coal mine rather than going to school. Textile mills and glass factories were two major industries that employed children. Young workers from ages ten to fifteen were prized for their nimble fingers and ability to work fast. Despite harsh and dangerous working conditions, the children worked long hours for minimal pay. Their families needed the money. This situation didn’t change until after the National Child Labor Committee began lobbying for change in 1904. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ended child labor outside of agriculture.
The inspiration for this book comes from the Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor by Russell Freedman.
I wanted to know the story behind the children in the photographs. What they experienced, what their world was like, why they had to go to work at such a young age.
NIGHTMARE IN NUREMBERG
John and Sabrina Worthington must discover why they’ve been transported to Nuremberg, Germany in 1935. Sabrina is sure it’s to infiltrate the Hitler Youth and John thinks it’s to save their Jewish ancestors from the Nazis. As Sabrina becomes increasingly brainwashed, John realizes he must rescue his relatives and his sister to ensure his family’s survival. Sabrina realizes the Nazis’ lies, they perform a dangerous rescue and return home with new priorities.
This time travel graphic novel is loosely based on my grandfather’s and father’s experiences in Nuremberg, Germany during WWII.
From left to right: My father Henry Federlin, his mother Else, and his father, Sigmund. Circa 1945.
Copyright © Carol Baldwin 2024