5.0

I had a positive impression of Kim Kelly from an appearance of hers on the Majority Report, so when I saw that she had written a book about labor history, I was really excited to read it. The labor movement is something that I've wanted to know more about for a few years now, but I wasn't sure where to start. As Kelly's book demonstrates, it's a long and storied history, and tackling it all is an ambitious undertaking. But she tackles it well, and in so doing makes sure to include workers whose contributions have often been overlooked on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or profession (such as sex workers). Her portrait of unions and the people driving organization efforts is often laudatory, but she makes room for criticism of moments when unions have failed or actively excluded marginalized workers, too, and I appreciate this complexity. Highlights for me include her discussion of the power of flight attendants' organizing efforts and the major role that queer flight attendants have played, and her coverage of how forced labor in prisons exploits incarcerated workers. Fight Like Hell is both an infuriating and empowering read.