Customer Reviews

From Fire to Rust: Business, Technology and Work at the Lackawana Steel Plant, 1899-1983

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I chanced upon From Fire to Rust while scouring books about the decline of US industry. The tired and illogical blaming of "foreign competition" here has been put to rest; the fault, dear Brutus, is ours alone. As with Youngstown Sheet and Tube, Bethlehem's Lackawanna plant, south of Buffalo, NY fell victim to corporate bean counters with very short sight. The revelations in this book are central to explaining the entire US industrial decline and the stupidity of those corporate choices. More important, though, the book celebrates and elucidates the critical role of technology and labor, of wise investments and smart leaders. It's a must read for anyone caring about how we grew as a nation - and why we're in decline. It's beautifully written, wonderfully illustrated with historic and contemporary photos, and, even for us techophobes, explains how steel was made, how it changed, and why it's not replaceable in our economy. It also reminds us what makes a strong national economy - it is working people and their ingenuity, from the hard hats to the boardroom. Don't let the grumps who dislike admitting that corporate America is flawed steer you away from this outstanding book. After all - Enron execs won't like their biographies, either.

I would not recommend this book to anyon