Steelworker Alley: How Class Works in Youngstown (ILR Press books) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Sometimes the past becomes meaningful only when it seems to be at risk..." (more)
Key Phrases: Republic Steel, Brier Hill, Joe Flora (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Bruno, an assistant professor in the Chicago Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois, blends personal memory, oral history, and archival research to document the social, economic, and political ties that bound Youngstown steelworkers to their fellow workers, families, communities, and class. Bruno argues that the postwar academic picture of "highly paid" manual laborers contentedly assuming middle-class values does not square with the workers' own perception of their lives. His steelworker father and friends defined themselves as working classAthey did hard physical labor, lived and socialized with other steelworkers in plant-gate neighborhoods, and had little in common with the middle-class foremen, plant managers, and owners. This book combines the immediacy of personal recollection with scholarly analysis to describe a working-class life that "unfolds on the plant floor, in the union hall, and throughout the neighborhood." Recommended for academic libraries with labor or oral history collections.ADuncan Stewart, State Historical Society of Iowa Lib., Iowa City
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

For retired steelworkers in Youngstown, Ohio, the label "working class" fits comfortably. Questioning the widely held view that laborers in postwar America have adopted middle-class values, Robert Bruno shows that in this community a blue-collar identity has provided a positive focus for many residents. The son of a Youngstown steelworker, Bruno returned to his hometown seeking to understand the formation of his own working-class consciousness and the place of labor in the larger capitalist society. Drawing on interviews with dozens of former steelworkers and on research in local archives, Bruno explores the culture of the community, including such subjects as relations among co-workers, class antagonism, and attitudes toward authority. He describes how, because workers are often neighbors, the workplace takes on a feeling of neighborhood. He also demonstrates that to understand class consciousness one must look beyond the workplace, in this instance from Youngstown's front porches to its bowling alleys and voting booths. Written with a deeply personal approach, Steelworker Alley is a richly detailed look at workers which reveals the continuing strength of class relationships in America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801486009
• ISBN-13: 978-0801486005
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #779,184 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read!!!, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Steelworker Alley: How Class Works in Youngstown (ILR Press books) (Hardcover)

Bruno's first and hopefully not his last!

You don't have to bea steelworker or from Youngstown to enjoy this book. Bruno's Yongstownis recognizable to all no mater where you live.

His portait of his hometown captures his family and neighbors who come alive in this interesting new work. Moreover, he has something to say and hesays it well!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very insightful book., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

Having grown up in Youngstown, I can fully appreciate the degree to which the author has captured the spirit of the mills and the working class. Anyone interested in labor studies will find this a book well worth reading.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice read about my old neighborhood, June 12, 2008

By	Richard Frehs - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I grew up in the Youngstown area back in the 50's. My Father worked in the offices of Republic Steel and took an early retirement years before Black Friday. I remember my Grandmother sweeping mill cinders from the front porch every morning when the mills were operating and how the flames from the stacks would light up the night.

The book gives a good account of the people and life styles of those that worked in the mill. It is sad that Youngstown never recovered.