Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: A Pictorial History of Working People in New York City

The book "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives" tells the stories of the workers who built New York City in the Twentieth Century, providing a glimpse of their traditions and how they helped create new ones. The photographs are complemented by poignant oral histories.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 20 November 2020
Publisher: New York University Press

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives is a captivating book that delves into the captivating and often poignant stories of the workers who built New York City during the Twentieth Century. It offers a profound glimpse into the lives of the men and women who toiled tirelessly to construct the towering structures and the beam walkers who assembled them, as well as the immigrant youths in factories and women in sweatshops, longshoremen and typewriter girls, dock workers and captains of industry. Through its narratives, the book sheds light on the traditions these workers brought with them to their new home and how they played a vital role in creating new ones, particularly through labor organizations that provided a sense of solidarity and security to recent immigrants, often overwhelmed by the intensity of New York life.

The book's photographic images, most drawn from seldom-seen labor movement photographers, are complemented by poignant oral histories that provide a deeper understanding of the stories behind the images. Among the extraordinary lives chronicled in the book are those of Philip Keating, who tragically fell to his death seven years after a fellow worker captured a photograph of him painting the Queensboro Bridge in 1949; William Atkinson, who broke the color bar at Macy's and recounted his experiences fighting racism both at home and abroad during World War II; and Cynthia Long, who overcame gender barriers to become an electrician with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 in the late 1970s.

To enhance the reader's experience, the book begins each section with narratives that provide historical context, allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the past and appreciate the significance of the workers' contributions. Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives is a testament to the resilience, determination, and hard work of the ordinary people who shaped the city's landscape and built its foundation. It is a must-read for anyone interested in history, labor, and the human spirit.

Weight: 794g
Dimension: 217 x 276 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479802654