High Steel: The Daring Men Who Built the World's Greatest Skyline (42 page)

J
IM
R
ASENBERGER
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.

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“Reveal[s] as much about the human spirit as about technological progress…. Rasenberger’s compelling book makes us look at the familiar story of the growth of New York from a new point of view—that of the men who actually built it.”

—
Wall Street Journal

“Admirable…. They are known as ironworkers, and they are a breed apart…. Not merely are these men out there on a narrow beam, they are doing amazingly hard work—guiding into place beams and vertical columns that weigh tons, bolting them into position with error margins of an eighth of an inch or less, climbing up columns from one floor to the next with nothing to support them except their own arms and legs. To say they have guts is a wild understatement…. Rasenberger pays overdue tribute to these men in
High Steel
…. He tell[s] his tale…uncommonly well.”

—Jonathan Yardley,
Washington Post

“Rasenberger writes about the ‘wow of the beam,’ the feeling an ironworker has while walking and sometimes running on a piece of steel…. The reader shares that ‘wow’ feeling throughout this riveting historical work as the author offers up descriptions of the enormous projects, the great heights, and the precarious work spaces.”

—
Chicago Sun-Times

“This is one of those books you would never consciously search for in a bookstore, but what a find. Rasenberger writes about the peole who have literally risked their lives to build some of America’s tallest buildings and bridges. You’ll never look at a skyscraper quite the same way again.”

—CNBC
Power Lunch
Summer Reading List

“Fascinating…. A breezy, anecdotal history of…the daredevils of the skies…who built New York City’s bridges and skyscrapers throughout the twentieth century. No previous author has put together the big picture as Rasenberger has. He gives us a sense of who ironworkers are, what they actually do, and why they love their jobs.”

—
New York Newsday

“Introduce[s] us to the romance and adventure of hard hats…men [who] make their living courting danger every day.”

—
New York Post

“A spirited book about people engaged in some of the most dangerous and nerve-wracking work on the planet…. The ironworkers in it are…daring and more than a little crazy; all that keeps them alive and in one piece is a trustworthy and capable gang—practiced from continuously walking high steel—and luck…. Rasenberger has an ear for these men’s stories and…puts a human face—both heroic and tragic—on what are often very inhuman places.”

—
Raleigh News & Observer

“Captures the true spirit of the ironworker’s heroism…. Mr. Rasenberger’s sharp eye…his sympathetic imagination, and his graceful prose make for an engaging read…. Beautifully written.”

—
New York Sun

“Fascinating.”

—
New York
magazine

“In a dizzying look at a world hundreds of feet above New York’s mean streets, Rasenberger recounts the heroic labor of the ironworkers who built legendary skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers, foot by treacherous foot.”

—
Maxim
(four-star review)

“
High Steel
is a testament to an incredible group of workers [that] ranks right up there with Gay Talese’s classic
The Bridge
…. Part lost American history, part adventure story, and part anthropological study.”

—
Daily News

“In
High Steel
, Jim Rasenberger immortalizes the daring ironworkers who erect the world’s most spectacular skylines.”

—
Vanity Fair

“Tantalizing…. Rasenberger’s muscular portrait deserves an outsize audience.”

—
Booklist

“A first-rate look at the majesty and danger of building modern cities…sympathetic…. A comprehensive celebration of [the] men who for more than a century have willingly accepted the risks it took to put the American skyscraper on the map.”

—
Kirkus Reviews
(starred)

“
High Steel
is a vision-changing book. No reader will ever again look up at a skyscraper in New York or anywhere else and see only a tall building. There will be people in the picture: the men of iron who applied their skill and raw courage to bringing skyline dreams to permanent life.”

—Jim Lehrer, host of
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

“A thrilling, fascinating story of men, steel, and extreme height.”

—Kevin Baker, author of
Paradise Alley

“A marvelous study of the heroism and tragedy of work, all the more powerful for its stylistic cool and elegant restraint. A testament to unshakable commitment and courage.”

—Richard Rayner, author of
The Cloud Sketcher

“A rivetingly good story, well told.”

—John Tauranac, author of
The Empire State Building: The Making of a Legend

“I can think of no subject more worthy than the heroes of Rasenberger’s
High Steel—
the workers committed to the prideful task of building objects that grace the skyline and lend substance and shelter to our economy and character.”

—Gay Talese, author of
Unto the Sons
and
The Bridge

“Jim Rasenberger tells a story of everyday courage and drama that will change the way you look at tall buildings.”

—Terry Golway, author of
So Others Might Live

“An honest, deep, and human book about working men and their monuments.”