Shell Games: The Life and Times of Pearl McGill, Industrial Spy and Pioneer Labor Activist

I am from family that made their living along the Mississippi during the years of clamming and pearl button cutting.I had no idea what conditions were like and what it took for a Union to be organized to make working and living conditions better for the laborers. This book gave me the insight as to what the lives of my ancestors endured to make a living in the Muscatine area during these times.Jeffrey S. Copeland spun a very interesting story of Pearl McGill, and kept me reaching for the book every free moment until finished.I have come to realize due to the extreme harvesting of the clams that there was an environmental impact on the River, and now I understand that generations later I have to step up and find a way to become a steward to the River. The Afterword is intriging and I appreciate the research that Mr. Copeland had put into exploring the murder. Perhaps the mentioned "good friend" was a Union buster.

This was a very interesting and informative book. I had no idea that workers in the pearl button industry along the Mississippi River endured such bad working conditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was an informative look at the beginning of a labor union for these workers, showing why unions were needed and how they were formed.Most of all, this is simply a good read. I picked it up every chance I got; it was a page-turner for me, and I really wanted to continue reading to see how the plot unfolded.The main character, Pearl McGill, is from a small Iowa town; she is perceptive and intelligent and she had a lot of influence in the beginnings of the labor union movement. The author, Dr. Jeffrey Copeland, has done his research well, so the entire book rings true.I'd be very interested in reading another book by this author (I've already read "Inman's War", a terrific book), perhaps even a book that continues on with Pearl's life. I'm positive there's another good novel wrapped up in the rest of her life!

It all begins when 16 year old Ora “Pearl” McGill arrives in Muscatine, Iowa to work in the shell button factory to earn money to go to school and earn her teacher’s certificate. Pearl has an “in” with the owner as he is a family friend, so she goes to him first to learn about the job he has reserved for her… only to find out he wants her to be a spy on the new labor movement. Pearl is conflicted but she agrees, as she is worried that the union will cost the company too much money and cause the factory to shut down, ultimately putting everyone out of a job.Meanwhile, Pearl rooms with a childhood friend named Maddie who has already been working in the factory, and who is very vocal about the abysmal working conditions, which Pearl eventually sees for herself. There are the unsafe hole punchers where people lose limbs; the acid baths to bring out the sheen in the pearl shells that scars skin and causes chronic lung diseases, and of course the child laborers, some just toddlers, scurrying underfoot doing dangerous odd jobs to help the family make ends meet.Pearl is torn between these two worlds and just wants both sides to talk to each other, as she feels the biggest problem is lack of communication between the owners and the workers. However, she ultimately begins to work more closely with Maddie and the other unionists, which turns out to be an extremely dangerous decision. The owners have hired “union breakers” who kidnap, beat, maim, and even murder unionists.Aside from the button makers and the factory owners, there is the clamming business going on in the background. Clam shells are the source of the pearl buttons in Muscatine, right on the Mississippi. The “clammers” hate the button workers AND the factory owners. While their plight is also miserable, no one is on their side… except perhaps someone called Gunboat Gaston. Pearl has a few run ins with Gaston… but who is he really? Why is he allied with the clammers? Why does he have such a crazy name?There are so many questions that I don’t want to spoil for you, but beware: if you pick up this book based on a true story, know that the history of labor is not an nice one. There is a victory in the book, but it is juxtaposed sharply with the sad facts of what really happened. I strongly recommend reading the Afterword which talks about the rest of Pearl’s life, and maybe even visit the button museum in Muscatine. I bet the first time you heard the words “button museum” you couldn’t think of anything more boring, but maybe after reading this account of the Button War of 1911, you’ll consider planning a trip. I'm from Eastern Iowa so I'm definitely going to check it out.

'Arrived quickly in good condition. 'Sounds like an interesting and unusual story. I like to read about real people and the difference they made in the world.

I like reading about history and I am a button collector so I found this so very informative and certainly makes me appreciate my shell buttons even more.

Shell Games is a thoroughly intriguing, entertaining, inspiring and educational book. Once started, I could not put the book down. Dr. Copeland did a superb job of weaving in history with suspense and little love story too. I appreciated that Dr. Copeland included the message that not all owners were evil and in fact owners made decisions that would sustain the business for the well-being of both owners and workers. It was so fun to become wrapped up in Pearl's adventurous life and ethical decision-making. She was a heroine and am so glad to have discovered her through Dr. Copeland's book. I am now going to read Olivia's Story.

Author took a lot of liberties. Things like the availability of fresh fruit and the language phrases used were not of the time period. The geography and sevearl locations are not identified correctly, we know this as we haved lived in the area all our lives.Reads as more fiction and non-fiction.