{"product_id":"men-at-work-isbn-9781644215029","title":"Men at Work","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author of \u003ci\u003eThree Minutes in Poland \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Practicing\u003c\/i\u003e uncovers the identities of the Empire State Building construction workers, made famous by Lewis W. Hine’s legendary portraits. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis little-known chapter of American labor history captures forgotten stories and features more than 75 photos and other illustrations—some by Hine that have never been seen before—of working class, immigrant, and indigenous lives who built the architectural icon.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho built the Empire State Building? Astonishingly, no list of workmen on this historic landmark was ever compiled. While the names of the owners, architects, and contractors are well known, and Lewis Hine left us indelible images of the workers, their identities—the last generation of workmen still practicing these time-honored trades, have not been identified until author Glenn Kurtz unearthed their individual stories for this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on eclectic sources—census, immigration, and union records; contemporary journalism; the personal recollections of their descendants—Kurtz assembles biographies of these workers, providing not only a portrait of the building’s labor force, and a revolutionary re-interpretation of Hine’s world-famous photographs, but also a fundamental reimagining of what made the Empire State Building a fitting symbol for the nation, built as it was at the very height of the Great Depression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor ninety years, photographer Lewis W. Hine’s iconic portraits and photographs have served as potent symbols of America in the early 1930s. Yet as famous as Hine’s images are, they have never been seen in their proper historical context. By identifying the individuals that built the early skyscraper, \u003ci\u003eMen at Work\u003c\/i\u003e transforms Hine’s evocative portraits from abstract symbols of an era into documentary evidence of specific, working-class, immigrant and indigenous American lives.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Delving into census data, immigration and union records, contemporary newspaper accounts and the personal recollections of their descendants, Kurtz illuminates Hine’s images in new ways\"\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Catherine Slessor, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Capitalists build nothing. Workers build everything. Glenn Kurtz recovers the stories of the brave men who constructed the Empire State Building masterfully using Lewis Hine's famous photographs of them. A wonderful book for anyone who cares about the stories of real workers.\"​ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Erik Loomis, author of \u003ci\u003eA History of America in Ten Strikes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“The Empire State Building is one of the most iconic buildings ever built. Yet, many aspects of its construction have remained shrouded in myth and mystery. Glenn Kurtz brings to life, for the first time, the personal stories of the workers who erected the Empire State Building. In this important work, Kurtz gives us a view behind the curtain wall, documenting the lives and achievements of the unsung craftsmen who gave their blood, sweat, and tears to build the world’s tallest building. Men at Work is a riveting achievement!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Jason M. Barr, author of \u003ci\u003eCities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World's Tallest Skyscrapers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Kurtz . . . puts a populist lens on a building that has more often served as a symbol of corporate might, while also puncturing the myth that the photos are somehow 'documentary' records of the work itself. New York history buffs will be thrilled by Kurtz’s discovery.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Publishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eGLENN KURTZ\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThree Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film\u003c\/i\u003e (Farrar, Straus \u0026amp; Giroux, 2014), which was named a “Best Book of 2014” by the\u003ci\u003e New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e, and National Public Radio. A documentary film, \u003ci\u003eThree Minutes—A Lengthening\u003c\/i\u003e, based on the book, was directed by Bianca Stigter, co-produced by Academy Award-winner Steve McQueen, and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, the film was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and received the inaugural Yad Vashem Award for Outstanding Holocaust Documentary. Glenn’s first book, \u003ci\u003ePracticing: A Musician's Return to Music\u003c\/i\u003e (Knopf, 2007), garnered enthusiastic reviews from the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e and elsewhere. The recipient of a 2016-2017 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, Glenn is a graduate of Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music and holds a PhD from Stanford University.","brand":"Seven Stories Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233382969573,"sku":"NP9781644215029","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781644215029.jpg?v=1767732549","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/men-at-work-isbn-9781644215029","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}