My River Chronicles
Rediscovering the Work That Built America; A Personal and Historical Journey
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
After journalist Jessica DuLong was laid off from her dot-com job, her life took an unexpected turn. A volunteer day aboard an antique fireboat, the John J. Harvey, led to a job in the engine room, where she found a taste of home she hadn’t realized she was missing. Working with the boat’s finely crafted machinery, on the waters of the storied Hudson, made her wonder what America is losing in our shift away from hands-on work. Her questions crystallized after she and her crew served at Ground Zero, where fireboats provided the only water available to fight blazes.
Vivid and immediate, My River Chronicles is a journey with an extraordinary guide—a mechanic’s daughter and Stanford graduate who bridges blue-collar and white-collar worlds, turning a phrase as deftly as she does a wrench. As she searches for the meaning of work in America, DuLong shares her own experiences of learning to navigate a traditionally male world, masterfully interweaving unforgettable present-day characters and events with four centuries of Hudson River history.
A celebration of craftsmanship, My River Chronicles is a deeply personal story of a unique woman’s discovery of her own roots—and America’s—that raises important questions about our nation’s future.
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DuLong shares her inspirational story of quitting her dot-com job to become the engine operator for an old fireboat on the Hudson River, going from working with bits and bytes to working with her hands in physically challenging environment. In recounting her transition, she reflects on the people who encouraged or blocked her way and how her newfound love for machinery has made her re-evaluate her entire being. As moving as the material is, DuLong s decision to narrate is unfortunate; she doesn t fall into a steady rhythm and her quoting voices fall flat. Her voice is agreeable but her management of the text, despite her enthusiasm, is middling. A Free Press hardcover.