Union Made

Great author!

This is the third Eric Lotke novel that I have read. The first two were excellent, and so different from each other. I didn't know what to expect with this one. I slotted it as an easy-to-read, end-of-the-day treat. A few days ago I began reading, leisurely, a chapter or two, at the end of the day. A few evenings went by like this. Then the story picked up steam, and I couldn't put it down. I read the last half in a single, swiftly-page-turning gulp.The development of the action is great. And so is in the insight into the world of union busting and union making.

This book puts us into the world of union organizing...it shows the intense personalities, the politics, the good guys, and lots of bad guys...it's well written, and a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. I recommend this for anyone who wants to learn something about the labor movement...or who is part of the labor movement already and likes a good story...And I liked the romance too!

Engaging plot, likeable characters, altogether fun read - especially for anyone with an interest and/or background in union organizing. Highly recommend!

Eric Lotke’s fast-moving romantic novel about a union organizer and an accountant pulls you right in and keeps you turning pages. It gives you a fascinating look at the day-to-day challenges of organizing a union for low-wage retail workers battling a heartless, soulless corporation whose largest stockholder is a vulture capitalist moved only by numbers, never by people. Catherine, the union organizer, crosses paths with Nate, an accountant for the vulture, who invested his life savings in the retailer she’s trying to unionize. In a few simple strokes, Lotke sets up a tense attraction between them, that make his two protagonists stand right up, walk around, and grab you by your feelings. Lotke’s vivid images make the book play like a movie in your mind. A worker, burned in an on-the-job accident, has facial skin that’s “…pink and brown and thick, like it’s been painted on over his real face, or like a rubber mask he’ll pull off when the joke is over.” A bit of fun and whimsy helps lighten up the seriousness of day-to-day organizing. The office of the union’s chief of special operations is filled with helium balloons. “Every color, every altitude, inflated balloons fill the office from floor to ceiling. Catherine can’t walk without squeaking and shoving through the mass.” The ending has a neat little twist, that you don’t see coming. But best of all, Eric Lotke has made a fascinating, enjoyable novel about ordinary people like union organizers, low-wage workers, and seemingly mundane accountants. Because Lotke has drawn on a major creative truth: none of these people are ordinary at all.

Fast moving and fun read! Learn about union organizing, companies tactics use to block unions and follow a developing romance! Really an enjoyable book!

A well-written, engaging read. Loved that a union organizing drive is the backdrop for the boy-meets-girl story! It also is a very loving portrayal of Richmond, VA. I'm recommending this book to all my friends.

I'm a voracious reader, but man, the last year has been tricky- the book has to fit my mood and mindset at the moment i sit down to read it or it's on the nightstand with the pile i want to read someday. This little book hit all the right elements! Charming, educational, light but substantial at the same time and now I'm convinced my calling is to be union organizer, lol. Get this book.