by Nomi Wall with Monaco Group ESL Class

This photostory was put together by women in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program at a clothes factory in Toronto. It shows the production process for a piece of clothing from start to finish. Each part in the process is given a photo and a line or two of text.

The booklet also contains an introduction. The first two sections are for instructors and the last section could be used by all program participants. It is unfortunate that not all women would be able to understand and use the whole book. The first two sections are much more difficult to read. The vocabulary is more advanced, the print is small and the lines are very long.

Even though not everyone will be able to read it, the outline of the process of putting the photostory together is excellent. Many women in programs will be able to work on the same kind of material once they have read the suggestions on research, text, photographs and making the book. They could rewrite and reproduce the information so that it can be shared with all the participants. Then, everyone will know what is involved and can make some decisions about how to do it.

Many of the women who work in the garment industry are immigrant women. We feel they would be very interested in this booklet. Many women will identify with the piecework, other manufacturing processes and the working conditions displayed in the photos. Women who do not work in factories will get a good idea of what that work is like.

A review by the Halifax Working Group, Halifax, N.S.