Wheels of Fortune is the story of the rise and fall and transformation of the rubber industry in Akron, a book rich in anecdotes and photographs. This is history told by people who lived it, on the factory floors and in executive offices, their voices ringing through a narrative that has all the heroes and villains and epic sweep of a Steinbeck novel. For more than a century after Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich came to town, in 1870, Akron, Ohio was the rubber capital of the world. The city prospered along with the tire factories, becoming a model for Middle America's industrial success. Its people worked in the rubber shops and lived in neighborhoods fostered by companies like Goodyear and Firestone. Even the air they breathed was heavy with the odors of rubber. But by the 1980s, most of the rubber industry had gone south, first the plants and then the company headquarters, a result of stubbornness in the union ranks, intransigence in the corporate boardrooms, and takeovers by foreign competitors. Akron began an awkward metamorphosis from a stronghold of blue-collar labor to a research and development center, finding its new identity in the broader fields of polymer science and technology.
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Its tire-manufacturing jobs have disappeared, and the familiar names of companies formerly headquartered there now belong to foreign owners. But Akron, Ohio, continues to be known as "the rubber capital of the world." Although its "Big Four" tire companies have been profiled individually, no thorough story of Akron and its once vital and thriving tire and rubber industry has ever been told before. This history of Akron's people and its commerce, which was originally published in Akron's Beacon Journal as a weekly series beginning in spring 1996 and running for a year, is spiritedly told with affection by two of the newspaper's staff writers. Love and Giffels recount a tale of struggle, survival, and loss, showing how the impact of the Depression, World War II, and the decline of manufacturing was magnified in this one-industry town. Their story is also one of rebirth as the University of Akron has become a growing center for polymer research. Richly illustrated with photographs from the newspaper archives. David Rouse
Review
[Wheels of Fortune] is a narrative of daring and determination, greed and compassion, triumphs wrested from adversity, and generosity borne from injustices righted. In the course of this journey, you will see how Akron became what it undeniably still is today: a unique American city built with vision and grit and love, a monument to the resilience of the human spirit and its capacity to create, to explore, and to persevere. -- Rita Dove, Foreword, Wheels of Fortune
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book on History of Akron and the Rubber Industry,
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This review is from: Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron (Ohio History and Culture) (Hardcover)
As a native of Akron, OH, I was very interested in reading this book and learning the history of the city which was known as the Rubber Capitol of the World.This book is very well written and contains many beautiful sharp photos from the past. The rubber industry has had an effect on everyone. Learn how it all started and how the the creator of modern rubber died pennyless. I very highly recommend this book!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent review of making of an industry and its capital.,
By mcensky@paradyne.com (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron (Ohio History and Culture) (Paperback)
Excellent case study of how invention grew a city and the company-city relationship. Demonstrates the importance of innovation and how industries die if they don't embrace change. The effect on the Akron people is excellent.
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