Synopses & Reviews
A powerful first-hand account of the many generations and ethnic groups of men who have built America's skyscrapers.
From the early days of steel construction in Chicago, through the great boom years of New York city ironwork, and up through the present, High Steel follows the trajectory of careers inextricably linked to both great accomplishment and catastrophic disaster.
The personal stories reveal the lives of ironworkers and the dangers they face as they walk across the windswept, swaying summits of tomorrow's skyscrapers, balanced on steel girders sometimes only six inches wide. Rasenberger explores both the greatest accomplishments of ironwork—the vaulting bridges and towers that define America's skyline—and the deadliest disasters, such as the Quebec Bridge Collapse of 1907, when 75 ironworkers, including 33 Mohawk Indians, fell to their deaths. High Steel is an accessible, thrilling, and vertiginous portrait of the lives of some of our most brave yet unrecognized men.
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“In HIGH STEEL, Jim Rasenberger immortalizes the daring ironworkers who erect the worlds most spectacular skylines.” Vanity Fair
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“Mr. Rasenbergers sharp eye...his sympathetic imagination, and his graceful prose make for an engaging read....Beautifully written.” New York Sun
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“A dizzying look at a world hundreds of feet above New Yorks mean streets.” Maxim (4 Star Review)
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“Fascinating.” New York Magazine
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“Introduce[s] us to the romance and adventure of hard hats….men [who] make their living courting danger every day.” New York Post
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“Fascinating....A breezy, anecdotal history of...the daredevils of the skies...who built New York Citys bridges and skyscrapers.” New York Newsday
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“Rasenbergers compelling book ....Reveal[s] as much about the human spirit as about technological progress.” Wall Street Journal
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“Admirable....Rasenberger tell[s] his tale...uncommonly well.” Jonathan Yardley in The Washington Post
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“[A] riveting historical work.” Chicago Sun-Times
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“HIGH STEEL is a testament to an incredible group of workers [that] ranks ... with Gay Taleses classic THE BRIDGE.” Daily News
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“[Rasenberger] is as engaging a writer as Sebastian Junger and HIGH STEEL is a fast-paced read.” Ottawa Citizen
Synopsis
Step out onto a narrow steel beam 800 feet in the air and join the rarest breed of worker you'll ever meet. From the violence-prone, half-mad "roughnecks" that built America's first steel bridges and buildings -- often dying in the process -- to the roaming Mohawks and "boomers" raising its skyscrapers today, they are the rogues and heroes, the anything-but-average Average Joes of
High Steel.
For anyone who ever wondered about the origins of America's steel icons -- its suspension bridges, its skyscrapers -- here's the untold story of the men who risked their lives to build them. Rich in history and personality, soaring from stunning tragedy to monumental achievement, High Steel is the most original and significant account of workers in America since Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed. This is nonfiction that will make your heart beat a little faster, and show you the world from a place you've never been.
About the Author
Jim Rasenberger is a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He lives in New York City with his wife and twin sons. High Steel is his first book.