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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus |
| Original language | |
| English | |
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MATTIE AND THE MACHINE
Mattie and the Machine is a fictionalized yet historically accurate account of Margaret E. Knight's fight to obtain recognition as a 19th century female inventor (she would eventually be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006).
In 1868 New England, fifteen-year-old Mattie is a mechanic in a paper company's all-female bag division. With paper bag sales booming after the Civil War, her boss expands the division by hiring men from his old Army regiment, including the mechanic Frank. Sparks instantly fly between Mattie and Frank, and their budding romance has her walking on airuntil she discovers Frank's pay is higher than hers. In fact, all the men receive thirty percent more than their female counterparts. The boss's rationale? Men are inherently better with machines.
Determined to prove him wrong, Mattie proposes a bet: If she can build a machine that fully automates their paper-bag-making process, the women will receive equal pay. If she fails, she'll resign as mechanic. The boss accepts, with one condition: Frank will also build a machine, and Mattie's must beat his.
Mattie's determination as she struggles with the technical challenges she encounters while taking her invention from initial concept to working prototype - in addition to the overwhelming prejudice she faces in the workplace and, eventually, the courtroom - makes her story an inspiring feminist narrative.
Mattie and the Machine also includes an appendix with Margaret E. Knight's actual patent application and drawings for her Bag Machine.
Lynn Ng Quezon has published several short stories and book reviews in publications such as Cricket magazine and The Fandom Post. She is also a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Quezon is a licensed engineer in the state of California
In 1868 New England, fifteen-year-old Mattie is a mechanic in a paper company's all-female bag division. With paper bag sales booming after the Civil War, her boss expands the division by hiring men from his old Army regiment, including the mechanic Frank. Sparks instantly fly between Mattie and Frank, and their budding romance has her walking on airuntil she discovers Frank's pay is higher than hers. In fact, all the men receive thirty percent more than their female counterparts. The boss's rationale? Men are inherently better with machines.
Determined to prove him wrong, Mattie proposes a bet: If she can build a machine that fully automates their paper-bag-making process, the women will receive equal pay. If she fails, she'll resign as mechanic. The boss accepts, with one condition: Frank will also build a machine, and Mattie's must beat his.
Mattie's determination as she struggles with the technical challenges she encounters while taking her invention from initial concept to working prototype - in addition to the overwhelming prejudice she faces in the workplace and, eventually, the courtroom - makes her story an inspiring feminist narrative.
Mattie and the Machine also includes an appendix with Margaret E. Knight's actual patent application and drawings for her Bag Machine.
Lynn Ng Quezon has published several short stories and book reviews in publications such as Cricket magazine and The Fandom Post. She is also a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Quezon is a licensed engineer in the state of California
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Book
Published 2022-11-01 by Santa Monica Press |