Metal Fatigue: American Bosch and the Demise of Metalworking in the Connecticut River Valley (Work, Health and Environment Series) (Work, Health, and Enviroment)
Easily one of the lucid and accessible books ever written on the local cost of globalization. Robert Forrant, a former machinist-turned-academic, recounts in living but tragic detail the impact of the loss of skilled industrial jobs on individuals, families, and an entire region. His important book is a must read for scholars who are interested in the link between local communities and the wider economic world, for policy makers who need to know what not to do, and for anyone else who cares about economic fairness and political democracy in a world stacked against both. --Bruce Laurie, Prof. Emeritus University of Massachusetts AmherstSpringfield Massachusetts, and the surrounding Connecticut River valley, was once at the epicenter of the American industrial revolution. Globalization and creative destruction have taken a fierce toll on the city and region's economic and social structure. Companies big and small changed hands, were downsized, and finally closed. Robert Forrant has written an insider's book about all of this that is absolutely riveting. He writes about the decline of Springfield through his experience as a worker and union official of American Bosch, the enormous metalworking plant that closed its doors in 1986. As a historian, he discusses the valley's demise in a book that is analytical and personal; historical and biographical. He weaves his knowledge of the forces buffeting Springfield with his knowledge of the people who lived, worked, and lost their jobs there. The compelling book should be read by historians, by urban and regional planners, and by anyone who mourns the disappearance of our industrial base. --Professor Robert Nakosteen, University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management