Weitzman, David. Skywalkers: Mohawk Ironworkers Build the City

Weitzman, David Skywalkers: Mohawk Ironworkers Build the City
Roaring Brook Press see Macmillan children's pub 2010 124p 19.99 978-1-59643-162-1 ms/hs Mohawk Indians, Bridge building E-BN


The Mohawk ironworkers were instrumental in constructing many of the bridges and skyscrapers that fueled the industrialization of the United States at the turn of the twentieth century.
This book describes the work of these indomitable fashioners of metal. "Legend has it that much of Manhattan was built by Mohawk ironworkers, and legend, in this case, is right." (Bayliss 2002) The Mohawk ironworkers were instrumental in constructing many of the bridges and skyscrapers that fueled the industrialization of the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. This book describes the work of these indomitable fashioners of metal. It begins with a discussion of the Iroquois Federation of the Six Nations and the place of the Mohawk tribe within this structure and continues with an analysis of the ways that they coped with the changing times. Their Native Reserves lay just north of the New York-Canadian border and they first worked as boatmen transporting goods. As more and more bridges were built that removed their employment, they moved into the more skilled bridge building trades in the late 1880s. Not all of their work was without danger; many died on the job. Weitzman devotes a chapter to the infamous construction and collapse of the Quebec Bridge in 1907 that resulted in the deaths of 75 men, many from the same town.
This fascinating book is well organized and clearly written and offers a insightful look into the topic. It provides a balanced and succinct explanation of the history and development of the Mohawk╒s ╥booming out,╙ their part in the building of bridges and skyscrapers, and is a very useful and attractive resource. Primary source information, exceptional period photographs, black-and-white drawings, and illustrations of bridges, with many of the parts carefully labeled enhanced the book. The book ends with a glossary, extensive chapter notes, and an index. This well-balanced, succinct, and lucid treatment of the topic is sure to appeal to readers. It will be wonderful for both research and browsing. Ogintz, Susan

Weitzman, David. Pharaoh’s Boat.

Weitzman, David. Pharaoh’s Boat.
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 unp 18.00 978-0-547-05341-7 all ages

During the excavation of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in the 1950’s, the great Sun Boat that was to ferry the Pharaoh Cheops to his eternal life was discovered. Weitzman offers an eloquently described and vividly illustrated account of its excavation and reconstruction. During the excavation of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in the 1950’s, an unusual wall was found that disturbed the perfectly geometric plans of the pyramid. It would lead Egyptian archeologist Ahmed Youssef Moustafa to a spectacular discovery, the Great Boat of Re built to ferry the Pharaoh across the river of the sky to his eternal afterlife. Weitzman smoothly moves between vivid descriptions of the time of Cheops and the careful plans his son Djedefre made to facilitate his father’s safe passage and eloquently portrays the construction and rebuilding of Pharaoh’s boat. After the boat was completed, it was taken apart and set so that Cheops could reassemble it for his journey. When it was uncovered, Moustafa would join local boat builders and piece together the puzzle of the ancient boat. The lively and informative text is greatly enhanced by the vibrant, labeled cross-sections, supplemental sidebars and resplendent hieroglyphics, and magnificent stylized color illustrations of the Egyptian workmen and their tools presented just as if they could be found on the walls of the pyramid. These include greatly detailed pictures, drawings, and cutaway diagrams that support the information perfectly. The book ends with an afterword and map . This well-balanced, succinct, and lucid treatment of the topic is sure SO
Egypt-History