No Right to an Honest Living

No Right to an Honest Living, a Pulitzer Prize-winning history by Jacqueline Jones, offers a detailed look at the experiences of Black workers in nineteenth-century Boston, revealing the city's contrasts between the ideal of equality and the reality of racial and economic injustice. The book explores how racism and societal hypocrisy shaped labor opportunities for Black Bostonians before, during, and after the Civil War, highlighting both systemic barriers and the resilience of Black entrepreneurs. Through vivid storytelling, it underscores the ongoing struggle for true workplace justice and equality in America.