Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives - by Debra E Bernhardt & Rachel Bernstein (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Brings to life the breathtaking and often heartbreaking stories of the workers who built New York City in the Twentieth Century

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives tells the stories of the men and women who built the City--of towering structures and the beam walkers who assembled them; of immigrant youths in factories and women in sweatshops; of longshoremen and typewriter girls; of dock workers and captains of industry. It provides a glimpse of the traditions they carried with them to this country and how they helped create new ones, in the form of labor organizations that provided recent immigrants, often overwhelmed by the intensity of New York life, with a sense of solidarity and security.

Astounding in their own right, the book's photographic images, most drawn from seldom-seen labor movement photographers, are complemented by poignant oral histories which tell the stories behind the images. Among the extraordinary lives chronicled are those of Philip Keating, who, seven years after a fellow worker photographed him painting the Queensboro Bridge in 1949, plunged to his death from another worksite; William Atkinson, who broke the color bar at Macy's and tells of fighting racism at home after fighting fascism abroad during World War II; and Cynthia Long, who fought gender barriers to become, in the late 1970s, an electrician with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3.

With narratives at the beginning of each section providing historical context, this book brings the past clearly, emotionally, and fascinatingly alive.

Review Quotes

"Evocative photos and engaging memoirs transport us into the feisty, militant, playful, and dignified world of working-class New York. The resulting collective portrait is a fitting tribute to the everyday heroes and heroines who built and sustained our city."--Mike Wallace, author of Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919

"The reissue of this remarkable book comes amid renewed labor activism uniting men and women, immigrants and native-born, and people of all backgrounds in the face of extreme inequality and rapid changes in the nature of work. Through photographs and oral histories, Bernstein and Bernhardt vividly bring to life the workers who built New York and have long struggled to make it a more just city. No book could be more timely."--Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University

"This inspiring book shows the people who built New York and keep it running: the sandhogs and stagehands, teachers and taxi drivers, bridge painters and banquet waiters. It is also a book about everyday heroes, whether firefighters or emergency room workers. In photograph after photograph, this book celebrates the dignity of work, while also showing the cruel conditions of yesteryear, the child labor and sweatshops. Threaded throughout is the stirring story of working people coming together, in strikes and street marches, to use their solidarity and collective power to build a better future for themselves and their city. Great not just for New Yorkers, but for anyone who cares about work and workers."--Steven Greenhouse, longtime New York Times labor reporter and author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor

"This superb study glimpses the diverse traditions that immigrants brought with them from abroad, and the solidarity, diversity, struggles, and relief they found in their new homes and neighborhoods of New York."-- "DoubleTake"

About the Author

Debra E. Bernhardt (1953 - 2001) built an extensive collection of documents, photographs, and oral histories about working people as head of the Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University. She was lauded by the New York Times for her "energetic career as an archivist helping to remember where everyone else came from."

Rachel Bernstein researches and teaches NYC working class history. She directs LaborArts, a non-profit using art, images and events to bring a broad audience to this often overlooked history. She taught in the graduate program in public history at NYU for 25 years, and continues to work on public history projects there and at Brooklyn College's Graduate Center for Worker Education.