Cigar Factory

Cigar Factory

A Novel of Charleston

  • Autor: Moore, Michele; Conroy, Pat
  • Editor: University of South Carolina Press
  • Col·lecció: Story River Books
  • ISBN: 9781611178401
  • eISBN Pdf: 9781611175912
  • eISBN Epub: 9781611175912
  • Lloc de publicació:  South Carolina , United States
  • Any de publicació digital: 2016
  • Mes: Febrer
  • Idioma: Anglés

Winner of the 2016 David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction, Michele Moore's entrancing debut novel, harkens back to an era when the legendary fishermen of Charleston's Mosquito Fleet rowed miles offshore for their daily catch. With evocative dialect and remarkable prose, The Cigar Factory tells the story of two entwined families, both devout Catholics—the white McGonegals and the African American Ravenels—in the storied port city of Charleston, South Carolina, during the World Wars. Moore's novel follows the parallel lives of family matriarchs working on segregated floors of the massive Charleston cigar factory, where white and black workers remain divided and misinformed about the duties and treatment received by each other.

Cassie McGonegal and herniece Brigid work upstairs in the factory rolling cigars by hand. Meliah Amey Ravenel works in the basement, where she stems the tobacco. While both white and black workers suffer in the harsh working conditions of the factory and both endure the sexual harassment of the foremen, segregation keeps them from recognizing their common plight until the Tobacco Workers Strike of 1945. Through the experience of a brutal picket line, the two women come to realize how much they stand to gain by joining forces, creating a powerful moment in labor history that gives rise to the Civil Rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome."

Moore's extensive historical research included interviews with her own family members who worked at the cigar factory, adding a layer of nuance and authenticity to her empowering story of families and friendships forged through struggle, loss, and redemption. The Cigar Factory includes a foreword by New York Times best-selling author and Story River Books editor at large Pat Conroy.

  • Cover
  • Contents
  • Foreword
  • A Note on the Language
  • Glossary
    • A
    • B
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • H
    • K
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • S
    • T
    • W
  • Prologue
  • Part I: 1917: Charleston, South Carolina
    • Chapter 1 AUGUST 1917
    • Chapter 2
    • Chapter 3
    • Chapter 4
    • Chapter 5
    • Chapter 6
    • Chapter 7
    • Chapter 8
    • Chapter 9
    • Chapter 10
    • Chapter 11
    • Chapter 12
    • Chapter 13
    • Chapter 14
  • Part II: 1923–1924
    • Chapter 15 DECEMBER 1923
    • Chapter 16
    • Chapter 17
    • Chapter 18 JUNE 1924
    • Chapter 19
    • Chapter 20
  • Part III: 1929–1933
    • Chapter 21 MARCH 1929
    • Chapter 22
    • Chapter 23
    • Chapter 24
    • Chapter 25 AUGUST 1929
    • Chapter 26
    • Chapter 27
    • Chapter 28 MAY 1933
    • Chapter 29
  • Part IV: 1934–1940
    • Chapter 30
    • Chapter 31
    • Chapter 32
    • Chapter 33
    • Chapter 34
    • Chapter 35
    • Chapter 36
    • Chapter 37
  • Part V: 1941–1946
    • Chapter 38
    • Chapter 39
    • Chapter 40
    • Chapter 41
    • Chapter 42
    • Chapter 43
    • Chapter 44
    • Chapter 45 SEPTEMBER 1945
    • Chapter 46
    • Chapter 47
    • Chapter 48
    • Chapter 49
    • Chapter 50
    • Chapter 51
    • Chapter 52
  • Acknowledgments
  • Sources

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