BOOK REVIEW 1 BOOK REVIEW WORK AND MEMORY IN YOUNGSTOWN STEELTOWN U.S.A. Submitted to Dr. Beekman in partial fulfillment of the requirements of HIS 2250370 ZACH KEARNS HIS 2250370 DR. SCOTT BEEKMAN 4/13/2017 Introduction The very title of this historical monograph “Work and Memory in Youngstown, Ohio: Steel town U.S.A.” invokes the spirit of Youngstown, Ohio and what that history has been made of. The city of Youngstown, Ohio is synonymous with steel mills – as demonstrated by the song famously written by Bruce Springsteen and referenced in the book – “Youngstown”. The song is tribute to an area that saw devastation come to what was a bustling and booming steel town. Steel town U.S.A., without …show more content…
As stated by Linkon & Russo (2002) “Youngstown’s story is America’s story.” The book tells the story of a city that harkens back to the early 1900’s during the height of the steel boom that spanned from 1900 until the 1970’s. The Brier Hill neighborhood and the Jenny are spoken about often. The Jenny is a shortened name for the Jeanette Blast Furnace and is symbolic of the time when neighborhoods such as Brier Hill were built around the mills. These mills were the cornerstone of society the city revolved around the mills and millwork. Linkon & Russo weave a story of a town built on mills and a solidarity of the workers that was instrumental in the economic prosperity of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. As the story unfolds there is also discussion of the population growth that was a direct result of the economic boom. Along with that narrative is also the increased racial diversity that emigrated to the area from Europe and the African American …show more content…
Also, a part of this narrative is what happened when steel town became prison town. The increase in crime and incarceration which was part and parcel of what happening in towns across America when thriving industrial towns were vacated due to economic