55 pages • 1-hour read
I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919
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Background
Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of illness and death.
Historical Context: Early 20th Century America
I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919, is set against a backdrop of overlapping crises that defined early 20th-century America. The story centers on the real Great Molasses Flood, which occurred on January 15, 1919, when a massive storage tank owned by the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (USIA) exploded in Boston’s North End, releasing over 2 million gallons of molasses. The surge destroyed buildings, crushed wagons, and killed 21 people, injuring over 100 others. The surrounding neighborhood was home to many Italian immigrants, whose voices were largely ignored when they warned that the tank leaked and groaned. The six-year court battle that followed ended in a historic ruling that held the company liable—one of the first instances of corporate accountability for a public disaster in the United States.
However, the molasses flood occurred in a period already marked by hardship. The world was still reeling from World War I (1914-1918), a conflict that claimed 10s of millions of lives and transformed global politics. Many returning veterans, like Mr. Lawrence in the novel, carried both physical injuries and psychological scars. In Boston, wartime industries had expanded rapidly, leading to overcrowding, labor unrest, and growing distrust between immigrant workers and industrial corporations.
At the same time, the Spanish influenza pandemic (1918-1919) swept across the globe, killing more than 50 million people worldwide. In the United States alone, it infected roughly one-third of the population. Tarshis weaves this historical reality into Carmen’s story through her father’s illness and death, portraying how disease compounded the struggles of immigrant families already facing poverty and discrimination.
By layering these interconnected events—the war, the pandemic, and the industrial explosion—Tarshis situates Carmen’s personal journey within a world defined by resilience amid loss. Her novel becomes both a survival story and a reflection on how ordinary people endure extraordinary times.
Series Context: I Survived
Lauren Tarshis’s I Survived series, launched in 2010, has become one of the most influential historical fiction collections for middle-grade readers. Designed to make history vivid and emotionally accessible, the series introduces young audiences to major disasters and turning points through the perspective of fictional children who experience—and ultimately survive—real historical events. Tarshis, an experienced educator and longtime editor of Storyworks magazine, draws on meticulous research and classroom insight to craft stories that balance tension and empathy, transforming history from static fact into lived experience.
The series now includes over 20 titles spanning both natural and human-made catastrophes. Among them are I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (2014), which explores courage and resistance during World War II; I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 (2023), which depicts survival amid natural disaster; and I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 (2017), which situates personal bravery within the fight for independence. Each novel blends factual accuracy with narrative imagination, following Tarshis’s self-described mission to teach history through heart.
Across the collection, Tarshis emphasizes recurring themes of resilience, empathy, and moral awareness, presenting survival as both physical endurance and emotional growth and responsibility. Her books maintain age-appropriate realism, never shying away from hardship but framing every tragedy within community, hope, and human decency. I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919, continues this tradition while focusing on lesser-known American history, connecting industrial tragedy to broader themes of justice and compassion. Through the series, Tarshis bridges storytelling and education, empowering readers to see themselves as participants in history, capable of empathy, courage, and critical thought.
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