End of the Line: AUTOWORKERS AND THE AMERICAN DREAM [Paperback]

Richard Feldman (Editor), Michael Betzold (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Feldman, a longtime employee at Ford's Michigan Truck Plant, interviewed 30 of his fellow workers to gather material for this book, written with Detroit Free Press reporter Betzold. "The subjects talk about their lives, their jobs, their families, their futures--and the tone is profoundly pessimistic," judged PW . Nevertheless, "the authors conclude with a rousing chapter on what can be done to insure a brighter tomorrow for the working class." Illustrated.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This marvelous book captures in a most poignant and accurate way what life is like for the millions who still make up the 'blue collar' backbone of American industry." -- Barry Bluestone, author of The Deindustrialization of America "A richly detailed, well-crafted portrait of a cross section of autoworkers in the midst of an identity crisis and a crisis gripping the U. S. auto industry."

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (October 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252061489
• ISBN-13: 978-0252061486
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,351,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Snapshot In Time, March 19, 2010

By 

John P. Richardson "reverendlinux" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End of the Line: AUTOWORKERS AND THE AMERICAN DREAM (Paperback)

I bought this book when it was first published back in the early 1990s. As an enthusiast of the auto industry (not just their products, but the effort that goes into making them), I initially bought this thinking it was going to be more about the actual making of automobiles. Instead, I found it dealt more with sociology and social psychology. This did not disappoint me.

As the short synopsis above states, this book is a collection of interviews with workers at a Ford plant that the author once worked at. What the synopsis doesn't say is how well the author captured each individual's range of emotions. The pride, sadness, anger, and joy that they have all experienced as members of the blue collar working segment that was once such a driving force in the US economy.

I recently went back and re-read this book. The things that stood out for me back in 1990 stand out even more so with the hind-sight of nearly 20 years of my own work experience. With every page I wondered what had become of these people. Had the ones who spoke of their dreams and ambitions been successful? Had the ones that were nearing the end of their rope managed to hang on a little longer?

To me, this book serves as a snap-shot of American working class citizens at a time when our economy was beginning to feel the full effects of its shift from being industrial to service driven. The stories told may not be heroic or life changing. But they are insightful stories of hard working people that are at times touching, funny and upsetting.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A really good inside view of an auto plant, February 12, 2011

By 

Saure - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: End of the Line: AUTOWORKERS AND THE AMERICAN DREAM (Paperback)

A really interesting book for explaining the psyche behind the assembly workers minds from Detroit manufacturers. It helps a lot in understanding why many things have gone wrong in the old big three and why many other companies had been able to deliver far much better products than Ford, GM and Chrysler. When workers are unhappy it shows on the products they make and this is a great inside view of what is really of concern for the workers at the assembly line. They think in almost everything except on the work itself. That says a lot about the big three.