High Steel

"[This] compelling book makes us look at the familiar history of the growth of New York from a new point of view—that of the men who actually built it." —Wall Street Journal

A powerful first-hand account of the many generations and ethnic groups of men who have built America's skyscrapers.


From the early days of steel construction in Chicago, through the great boom years of New York city ironwork, and up through the present, High Steel follows the trajectory of careers inextricably linked to both great accomplishment and catastrophic disaster.


The personal stories reveal the lives of ironworkers and the dangers they face as they walk across the windswept, swaying summits of tomorrow's skyscrapers, balanced on steel girders sometimes only six inches wide. Rasenberger explores both the greatest accomplishments of ironwork—the bridges and towers that define America's skyline—and the deadliest disasters, such as the Quebec Bridge Collapse of 1907, when seventy-five ironworkers, including thirty-three Mohawk Indians, fell to their deaths. High Steel is an accessible and thrilling portrait of the lives of some of our most brave yet unrecognized men.


"A thoughtful testament to a dying craft that has helped fuel the American economy for more than a century." –Publishers Weekly

"Rasenberger's muscular portrait deserves an outsize audience." —Booklist

"Rasenberger tell[s] his tale . . . uncommonly well." —The Washington Post

"Riveting." —Chicago Sun-Times

"A breezy, anecdotal history of . . . the daredevils of the skies." —New York Newsday

"Introduce[s] us to the romance and adventure of hard hats. . . . men [who] make their living courting danger every day." —New York Post

"Beautifully written." —New York Sun

"Fascinating." —New York Magazine


"A testament to an incredible group of workers [that] ranks . . . with Gay Talese's classic The Bridge." —Daily News