Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back by Nathan Bomey

Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back by Nathan Bomey details the inside story of Detroit's bankruptcy filing. $18 billion in debt and six decades of mismanagement and dereliction of duty, Detroit's once iconic status was reduced to a city without funds; every other street light broken, trash missed, water and sewer inconsistent. A city of 700,000 people that miraculously could not function. The solution to Detroit's grave issues was a reset button: bankruptcy. This book highlights how unlikely partners -  a Republican technocratic governor, a private bankruptcy lawyer who left his firm to become an appointed emergency manager, and two judges - led the fight to save Detroit with the help of residents, philanthropic institutions, mediators, and more. Saving Detroit and rebuilding its legacy was a herculean effort and achievement. 

In the fight to save Detroit, pensioners who had earned their retirement, union works, and the Detroit Institute for the Arts (a crown jewel) all experienced moments of existential crisis. It was a tense and monumental deal that took almost 1.5 years to complete, far faster than the average municipal bankruptcy. The mismanagement of Detroit retiree's pensions included undue bonuses, bribes for investment choices that did not pay dividends, and a true lack of accounting. One retiree should have had his total investment equal around $400,000 when he retied. But after years of excess annuity interests, he received $1.4M when he retired (p72). Rather than accounting for each pensions, its owed money, and then reinvesting the rest in the city, it was distributed unevenly and irresponsibly so much so that pensioners of today lost money to prior pensioners. 

Clearly, Detroit got back on track. It took creative solutions, steadfast commitment to agreements, and, frankly, deprioritizing creditors during a global recession. Detroit was resurrected by bipartisan, bold leadership. 

This was a fascinating book- I definitely want to go to Detroit now!

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder was a short and direct book focused on how to identify and oppose a potential Hitler-esque government in the US. It was a scary but important reminder. I hope more people read it. 

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy was an engaging, authentic, and moving memoir of the challenges of an abusive mother and child actor. McCurdy’s writing style and structure reads like individual journal entries - short. It creates an intimacy in the reader  and I’m sad the book is over. 

“Why do we romanticize the dead? Why can’t we be honest about them? Especially moms. They’re the most romanticized of anyone,” (p303).

Sea People by Christina Thompson

Sea People by Christina Thompson is a history of Polynesia written through the lens of historical tactics rather than a recitation of history as it’s known today. Part of the reason for this is that not much is really known about Polynesia, its people, or their migration patterns. Migration is a key part of Polynesian history; it is both the biggest question for outside historians and the root of identity for most Polynesian cultures. As we (non-Polynesians or non-seafarers) look to answer questions about Polynesia’s history, we often end up writing questions that don’t fit within the Polynesian paradigm: “Why leave their home? Where did they come from? Why did they go?” Understanding Polynesian history is also a quest to understand Polynesian culture. 

The furthest stretches of the Polynesian triangle are Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island. Thousands of miles of open water and a variety of small, large, wet, or dry islands. The broad consensus is that modern Polynesians descend from the Lapita People who reached Tonga & Samoa from the west approximately in 900 BC. It is thought that none of the archipelagoes of central and eastern Polynesia (Society Islands, Marquesas, Hawaii, Easter Island, Cook Islands) is thought to have been settled before the end of the first millennium AD and the discovery and settlement of New Zealand is thought to be AD 1200 (p308). A critical piece of context for how large the Pacific Ocean truly is: if you were to look at the Pacific Ocean from space, you would not be able to see both sides of it at the same time (p17).

Nevertheless, Polynesian cultures are defined by their seafaring nature.  In a classically European intolerance for uncertainty or myth, European historians spent hundreds of years trying to answer ‘the Polynesian question’ through means that ironically didn’t really answer it. With more modern research tactics available, the prevailing history of Polynesia largely lines up with the traditional oral history, once doubted by nearly all non-Polynesian historians. To quote Thompson, “the new science, having displaced the old science, agrees surprisingly well with the pre-science,” (p310). 

When Europeans began to sail around the world, some eventually stumbled upon Polynesia, most often where the wind took them, to the small Tuamotus. Modern Polynesian history (that is, one of voyagers), begins about 4000 years ago in 1000 BC. This history begins in Tonga & Samoa at the western edge of the Polynesian Triangle. However, in more recent history, around the 1600s, Tahiti was considered the heart of Polynesia, due to its large population. Tahiti was within the island group known as the Marquesas. At the time of arrival of Abraham Fornander, a “viking anthropologist”, the population in the Marquesas summited from 50,000 before European contact to 2,225 by 1926 (p154). When Europeans arrived and became intrigued with Polynesia, they worked to fit Polynesian culture into European constructs: they transliterated ancient oral traditions, populated and diseased communities, and, in an effort to categorize, they racialized Polynesian communities particularly against Melanesia, which was generally darker skinned.  

Quote from Maori scholar Tipene O’Regan: “My [ancestors] may be dead but they are also in me and I am alive…The past is not a dead thing to be examined on the post-mortem bench of science without my consent…I am the primary proprietor of my past” (p315). 

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum was a historical view of reality tv as a genre, despite the genre's disbelievers. Starting with Allen Funt's Candid Microphone and then Candid Camera in the 1940s up to present day The Apprentice and The Bachelor, Nussbaum describes the evolution of reality shows as a genre, their explosion in popularity, and the tribulations of filming reality TV for both the cast and crew. 

Since its beginning, there have been those who have said that reality entertainment was a fad; clearly it is here to stay. What began with pranks on unsuspecting individuals who were forced to consent after the fact is today a genre of its own bringing in billions of dollars in economic impact. Reality tv shows are cost effective- without writers and not-always-paid cast members, they brought in plenty of views and profit for the production companies. The industry is based on a culture of survival (no pun intended, Survivor) where crew work unimaginable hours with low pay and degrading assignments and the cast are created into characters in the editing booth- statements intentionally misattributed and real feelings manipulated. Nussbaum hammers this point home and poses ethical questions around the filming process, consent, and the platform. 

Not my most thorough blog but I'll end it there. This was an interesting and different read. I'm not much of a reality TV consumer, but we can all say we've seen an episode of Survivor, Love Island, or Great British Baking Show. It was interesting to get the behind-the-scenes view. 

Leadership in the US Senate

Leadership in the US Senate: Herding Cats in the Modern Era edited by Colton C Campbell was published in 2019. It reviews changes in Senate culture and procedure through the lens of every majority leader over the last five decades. For every leader, the authors basically review leader effectiveness in managing a policy agenda and meeting electoral goals of the party (Loc4061). Every leader facilitated the long term shift of the Senate into a more partisan environment through rules changes, cultural shifts, and structural expansions of staff. What was once a “nuclear option” became progressively more common over time and used by both major parties.

The first person to be called a “majority leader” was John Kern (D-IN) in 1913, 124 years after the first congress. There is an expectation by the public that the Senate Majority Leader has tremendous power. For Democrats, the leadership team consists of the party leader, the assistant leader AKA whip, secretary of the caucus, and the chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (Loc6422). For Republicans, this is roughly the same, but with deputies for each position as well as policy committee positions. 

The most important piece of wisdom there is about the US Senate is the Senate critically relies on parliamentarian rules, social norms, and bipartisanship in order to work. In formal rules, the majority leader has a variety of small privileges including a recognition prerogative, which allows them to control the amendments process (Loc1026). Thus, the most significant trend over time has been the shift from a collaborative Senate to a more and more 'individualistic' over time, particularly since the 1950s under Mike Mansfield (D-Montana) (Loc662). 

Over time, the role of a majority leader has drastically expanded. Where committee members and leaders used to be the most significant negotiators on a piece of legislation, today the majority leader tends to lead that effort. This is, in part, because the majority leader can also bypass committee work through Rule XIV (Loc1044). Today majority leaders lead those negotiations, run messaging, fundraise for the party, and more. Since the 1950s, the Senate Majority Leader role has shifted towards partisan leadership and political maneuvers aimed at picking up more seats. 
Because this institution relies on procedure and collegiality to function, the ongoing political polarization has led to a less productive Senate. In turn, majority leaders lean more heavily into the electioneering role of the position: “‘Narrow majorities inherently encourage partisan conflict. When control is always within reach…’ ‘the majority party’s failure is the minority party’s success,’” (Loc806). The minority party creates an inventory of losses ahead of the election (Loc853), a strategy highlighted in both this book as well as McConnell’s biography. Furthermore, leaders would prefer to build support from within the party before looking to members of the other party (Loc7193). So, the pattern is as such: “First, the majority leader believes..that the minority party is deliberately obstructing the majority’s agenda. This perspective provokes parliamentary maneuvers by the majority leader to restrict the minority’s amendment and debate opportunities…” which then leads to debate, filibusters, and counter procedures which ultimately inhibits bipartisan collaboration (Loc886). Senators continually take a more individualistic approach to legislating, looking out for their own seats. 

In today’s Senate, prevention of filibuster is highly advantageous. Amendments which come from the House are not subject to filibuster (Loc1098). Additionally, the reconciliation process, something far more Americans are aware of now than ever before, was created by the Budget Act of 1974. Reconciliation allows for expedited consideration of legislation dealing with appropriations, taxes, and the national debt. While this is complex and has its own rules, reconciliation bills are filibuster proof, a maximum of 20 hours of debate. To initiate this, Congress has to adopt a concurrent budget resolution (Loc980). There are actually 13 bills to be passed as part of the budget. However, the last time this process was followed was in 1996 (Loc5241). 

The Tea Party/Freedom Caucus of today began with Newt Gingrich in the mid-90s (Loc801). This rightward shift for the base of the Republican Party not only created issues for Mitch McConnell, which he mentions in the biography Price of Power, but it particularly began to and continues to disrupt the Senate’s legislative work today. Cloture votes, once a procedure to end debate, is now used as a campaign issue against the minority party to target them as obstructionist or, if the opposite occurs, the minority party uses these motions to force a vote on something the majority leader may not want to vote on (Loc922). 

When leaders are in power with a same party president, discord within the party is likely to be quelled by restrictive floor procedures which advance the president’s agenda and demonstrate the capacity of the majority to govern. (Loc1574). Fundamental assumptions within this trends are 1) it benefits the party to govern effectively and 2) those who assist the president may receive campaign assistance from the president. Both of these assumptions have changed over time. Campaigns continue to become more and more negative and offensive, as opposed to focusing on productivity. Additionally, with more prevalent intraparty disagreements, presidents may not support their own party members, reducing incentive to produce legislation for the president. 

One Miscellaneous Observation: 
- In discussing partisan media, the authors share that programs which are polarized in nature are small compared to the major networks (Loc761). Obviously that’s a stark difference from today. 

While learning about each individual majority leader provides an interesting lens, the clear pattern between all leaders was they had one or several of the following traits: a mastery of Senate rules and procedure, charismatic personality, and were relentlessly hardworking.  

Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin was the inside story of the months leading up to the 2008 recession, marked by the filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Lehman Brothers in September 2008. This was published a year after the recession, in 2009. It outlines the deals made to try to mitigate this crisis and the roles of government agencies, Wall Street banks, and companies, and various other power players. Interestingly, just months before total collapse, at an economic roundtable it was asked if the credit crisis would be a chapter of a footnote in our history books. Everyone agreed it would probably be a footnote (p304).

Since the 1990s, there was broad deregulation of financial institutions, such as repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. As the push for homeownership grew, these institutions developed mechanisms to theoretically “de risk” their loans and investments, providing more homeownership opportunities to Americans, even those who could not afford it. The result was a more interconnected and risky financial system than any one person realized. The risky loans were packaged neatly alongside safe loans and mortgages (p152). As a result, some firms didn’t even know they were vulnerable to the losses which were later incurred. Firms that insured mortgages did not even originate them. They issued long term mortgages and financed them with short term paper; every time the mortgage lost value, which happened daily during the crisis, the firms lost money. Those who needed to pull their money from banks for their personal reasons were tied up with these illiquid mortgages that were, effectively, on paper but not real (p452). As people who could never afford their homes defaulted on their loans, it rippled across financial institutions to Wall Street and the world. 
 
The collapse came as a series of banks and companies one by one. Jamie Dimon, on a conference call on September 13, 2008 said “we need to prepare right now for Lehman Brothers filing…and for Merrill Lynch filing…and for AIG…Morgan Stanley…and potentially Goldman Sachs” (p26). Nearly all did. The collapse began and continued due to irresponsible lending practices, but economic sentiment played a tremendous role as well (p86); the lifeblood of the financial industry was, in large part, confidence. Some of the most difficult parts about mitigating the financial crisis were 1) not fully understanding how connected all of the institutions were 2) politically explaining how these insolvencies would impact Americans. In the end, each of the former Big Five investment banks failed, was sold, or was converted into a bank holding company. Two mortgage-lending giants and the world’s largest insurer were placed under government control. American tax payers became part owners in Wall Street. While the taxpayers “made” $4B in profit, $250B was given out via TARP and many Americans still couldn’t obtain a mortgage or a line of credit (p695). 

While the book discusses chronology and deals, it does not review the financial systems that led to this, impact to every day Americans, nor the macroeconomic ideas to justify the government response. I also would have appreciated a greater explanation of the short stock brokers. David Einhorn was quoted heavily in the book and, on Lehman, said “this is crazy accounting- the day before you go bankrupt is the most profitable day in the history of your company, because you’ll say all the debt was worthless. You get to call it revenue…and pay bonuses” (p153). I would've like to read more about that. 

Overall, I liked this book and the storytelling. I would like to read a book more focused on homeowners who lost their homes as a result of this crisis, as well as one explaining more of the lead up to the crisis. 

I actually finished this book and wrote the blog over a week ago, I just forgot to post. Oops!

Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond

Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond broadly addresses poverty in America from a high level ideologue perspective. I think Evicted was a far better book and frankly, I didn't really like this book. Poverty by America felt outdated in its call to consumer action and unsubstantiated. It felt like a conceptual book about ideas and what we all should do; it wasn't educational and felt written for those who already agree. The book did not deep dive into any particular piece of poverty, but rather touched on a various facets of sociological impacts and trends surrounding poverty. I could say a lot more on this but frankly, I wouldn't recommend. 

Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party by Michael Tackett

Price of Power by Michael Tackett is full of insight on campaigns, fundraising, tactical politics, and strategy. Above all else, Mitch McConnell loves the game of politics; he is not driven by policy goals. McConnell is a person with a plan; he does the work to be the person with an answer when it's needed and to know when he needs to be quiet. He is methodical in his power accumulation and deployment and extremely intentional. This book blog is going to be mostly filled with a list of political wisdom and quotes. My favorite thing about this book was the incredible level of candor. 

When McConnell got to the Senate, he accrued power by taking jobs others didn't want. Like prior Senate leaders before him, he understood the value of patience and of listening (p IX). He takes time to learn everything about a person, while keeping his information carefully guarded (p324). He was careful with his words and said "no one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut," (p329). A lot of people can learn from that, including myself.  

From the start, McConnell was crucially driven by a need to prove himself worthy, in light of his childhood bout with polio. He was motivated to learn how to accrue, use, hold, keep, and build power. His highest priority was always the political play, even when his most basic beliefs about institutions were violated: "To win the policy arguments, you have to win the political arguments. If you don't get the politics right, you don't have enough people elected to get the policy right," (p220). An example was January 6, where his life and his staff's lives were in real danger: "he held a strong belief that Trump had committed an impeachable offense," but politics overrode it. His staff feared for their lives and days later, McConnell took a bet that January 6 was egregious enough that Trump would become politically irrelevant and it did not require his political intervention to legally prevent that, via an impeachment vote (p308). 

However, McConnell not only wanted to accrue power, but he loved the game of politics. He was prescient in predicting the rise of rural white voters marching away from Democrats and towards Republicans and actually built that Republican Party infrastructure in Kentucky over 50 years ago (p205). In every interview, he would include things that could be pleasing to the base, and things that could be pleasing to independents. Anybody could find what they were looking for in Mitch McConnell's Republican Party (p214). His electoral tactics were always negative. From the start of his political career, he viewed every election as a referendum on the incumbent and in Obama's first term midterms, his "blocking and blaming" strategy worked (p215). He relied on understanding his constituency and courage to know when to break with the constituency to, a great nugget of wisdom (p66). 

"Leaders who won and were effective were those 'who took their time, understanding the issues, learning the system, paying attention to what voters were asking for, and making sure they were superbly prepared," (p85). McConnell figured out the process- that the real impact was in offering amendments to bills, rerouting the budget through the budget reconciliation process rather than the traditional process, and his nearly single handed transformation of the Justice system through appointment confirmations in the Senate.

Overall, this was a tremendously insightful book. I highly recommend it for those in politics as an educational memoir- no idolization here.  

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah is a memoir focused on Noah's experience as a child of apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was modeled off of Jim Crow laws, taking place at the tail end of the Jim Crow era. The Jim Crow era ran from late 19th century through the 1960s; apartheid was 1948 to 1994. 

During apartheid, "all nonwhites were systematically classified into various groups and subgroups. Then these groups were given differing levels of rights and privileges in order to keep them at odds," (Loc 1660). Noah shares that the worst way to insult "a colored person was to infer that they were in some way black," (Loc 1666). In the memoir, Noah's prevailing theme was that, being mixed, he did not fit in anywhere in large part due to the clear sociocultural delineation between races. This differentiation included different language schools. South Africa technically had 11 different languages, which served as another major cultural barrier between tribes (Loc 74). 

In one of many parallels to America, "Apartheid was a police state..in America you had the forced removal of the native onto reservations coupled with slavery followed by segregation. Imagine all three of those happening to the same group of people at the same time," (Loc 322). In explaining how the atrocities of the apartheid are never taught in South Africa, it seemed to Noah that the mandate was "whatever you do, don't make the kids angry," (Loc 2461). This was the justification for recent sanitization of history courses in Florida public schools. 

A key reason for the missing history in regions in Africa is that, "when you read through the history of atrocities against Africans, there are no numbers, only guesses. It is harder to be horrified by a guess," (Loc 2637). This has rung true certainly in fact as well as my own personal experience. I've been trying to find books about different regional histories in Africa for well over a year, but the few books that do exist are usually written by the victors and do not cover histories prior to a conflict. 

Miscellaneous insight from the author:

- In talking about his relationship with his father, Noah says "being chosen is the greatest gift you can give to another human being," (Loc 1578). I couldn't agree more. 

- Some native African history! "When Dutch colonists landed at the southern tip of Africa over three hundred years ago, they encountered an indigenous people known as the Khoisan. The Khoisan are the Native Americans of South Africa, a lost tribe of bushmen, nomadic hunter-gatherers distinct from the darker, Bantu speaking peoples who later migrated south to become the Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho tribes of modern South Africa," (Loc 1600). 

- You protect yourself from rejection by opening up. "You don't ask to be accepted for everything you are, just the one part of yourself that you're willing to share," (Loc 1934). 

This book is an easy and insightful read about personal experiences of South African apartheid from a unique perspective. I recommend. 

Say Nothing: The True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Say Nothing: The True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe was an incredible book which told the story of the Troubles through the stories of four main characters: Dolours Price, Gerry Adams, Brendan Hughes, and Jean McConville, and the people they knew and worked with along the way. 

The Troubles were an extremely tumultuous time, mostly for Belfast, in Northern Ireland. The Troubles primarily affected the working class city people of Belfast- not even the adjacent suburbs nor London, until the bombs were brought to London (Loc 2080). The Troubles bore on for nearly three decades before a peace agreement was reached, which still did not satisfy many. 

I found the book relevant to impending political strife here: "It was indicative of Adams's continued status as a political outcast that none of his fellow members of British Parliament issued any expressions of sympathy or condemnation following this assassination attempt," (Loc 3081). The sacrifices made by those who fought and killed for a united Ireland were justified by that cause; when a united Ireland didn't come about, many felt betrayed, (loc 3467).  Though the US is not at this point, the assassination attempts against Trump in July were certainly a litmus test of sorts. 

The Troubles were not formally considered a war, but the UK seems to have treated it this way: there were double agents, bombings, special units, internment and political prisoners, and other crimes committed by all parties which reflect those seen in wartime. In the justification of their moves, this quote applied: "You start out running numbers in your head, and pretty soon you are sanctioning mass murder," (Loc 4019). 

This book was a gripping story; I knew nothing about this time period prior to reading. 

There is a lot more I could say but if you read this blog, know that you should read this book! 10/10! 

Thanks to Ed, Eleni, Arjun, Josh, and Casey. 5 different people recommended this book so I am glad I picked it up!

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson details three stories which exemplify those of the Great Migration, the mass exodus of black people from the South between 1915 and 1970. The Great Migration is hardly discussed in school, but this phenomenon would dwarf the California Gold Rush as well as the Dust Bowl Migration (loc 182), going on for far longer than initially expected. By the time the Great Migration ended in the 1970s, nearly half of all black Americans would be living outside the South, compared to ten percent when the Migration began (loc 193). The Great Migration ran along three main routes which emptied in the northeast, the midwest, and the west. 

Across the South, someone was hanged or burned alive every four days between 1889 and 1929 (loc 663). Colored people had to be off the streets and out of city limits by 8:30pm in Palm Beach and Miami Beach. 

Sharecropping was slavery. The workers never made any real money, relying on the planter to be truthful about debts and credits (loc 923). 

In the past, I have made the clear cognitive connection between slavery and America's economy, but the author made the explicit connection that, each day, sharecroppers had to pick a hundred pounds of cotton for the clothes across the country and "closer to home..there were Klansmen needing their white cotton robes and hoods," (loc 1744). 

Sheriff Willis McCall, tormentor and Sheriff of Lake County was a key figure in the Groveland Four and Devil in the Grove. 

By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle

By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle tells the story of the Muscogee people through narratives of the American court system, democratic processes, and historical accounts of displacement of Muscogee people from the eastern US to Oklahoma. After relocation to Oklahoma, Oklahoma asserted that Muscogee nation no longer existed as a sovereign entity. This book uses a criminal case in which the crime occurred on Muscogee Nation's land to affirm for Muscogee people that their nation is indeed sovereign. 

To set the stage, Muscogee's land cession was "one of the largest indigenous land cessions in US history...23 million acres, including the southern portion of present day Georgia and much of Alabama," (Loc 481). On the scale of today's US population, [relocating the Indigenous nations living east of the Mississippi] would be like forcibly relocating the city of Houston," (Loc 1406).  

Through the allotment process, tribes in the US lost nearly two-thirds of their land base..."carried out not through war, but bureaucracy," (Loc 1905). As I have seen in other books time and time again, the allowance of railroads to run through tribal lands was devastating (Loc 1933). "Prior to July 9, 2020, American Indian reservations made up only 2% of all land in the US- or about 56 million acres. For perspective, nearly 200 million acres is reserved for national forests...our government set aside more land for trees than for Indigenous people," (Loc 2680). 

Miscellaneous:

- White and Native American rates of alcoholism are the same. (Loc 127)

- The landmark case took place, at one point, at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in downtown Denver (Loc 1202). 

- There were over 50 all-Black towns in Oklahoma. Vernon, OK, is one 13 towns there that still exist. Today it is only churches (Loc 161). 

- An interesting reminder of how administrations make a difference: the Trump admin asked the solicitor general of the US asked the Supreme Court to overrule the Tenth Circuit decision.  

I really enjoyed this book, which had a variety of other insights in addition to those listed above. Highly recommend. Shoutout Axios for putting this book in an email! I am so glad I read it.  

Colossus: The Turbulent, Thrilling Saga of the Building of the Hoover Dam by Michael Hiltzik

Colossus: The Turbulent, Thrilling Saga of the Building of the Hoover Dam by Michael Hiltzik tells the story of the Hoover Dam's construction through the story of those who built it. What became Hoover Dam was initially criticized by FDR, before being championed as the epitome of the New Deal. The Hoover Dam's construction was a defining feature of our economy; the author views it as not post or pre-war, but rather, post or pre-dam era (p xiii). In the face of the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam represented a feat over nature & economic hardship, and above all, opportunity. 

Having come to fruition immediately prior to and kept alive during the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam was a key opportunity for unemployed Americans looking for stable work. The Hoover Dam had terrible working conditions: at least 96 people died, many suffered long term health issues related to the conditions, and the pay was deeply inadequate. A labor union, the Wobblies, made a couple of unsuccessful reappearances on the job site. Their theory was to get arrested, make as much noise as possible, and overrun the jail until police backed down (p232). While the public campaign worked, workers did not achieve any pay raises or other benefits. Because of this, despite the life threatening working conditions, when workers lost rights or pay, they did not want to be associated with the Wobblies, instead forming a "joint workers committee" (p235). The day that the superintendent, Frank Crowe, rejected worker demands to keep their wages, cold water, and other livable conditions, he not only rejected these requests but fired all workers involved and made them vacate their company housing by 5pm that day (p238). 

Because of the depression, there were so many people looking for work that union power was at a low. Not only did many workers die, but the contractor, Six Companies, finished the contract years early and directly pocketed the cash associated. It could be argued that a slower schedule could have saved lives.  As when it was initially built, visitors flock to the dam to see its glory, but we don't often hear about those who built it. 

While the advocacy for what became the Hoover Dam began around 1859, it was completed 1936. Today, the Colorado River Compact relies on the assumption of 16.4 million acre-feet, but the true historic average is around 14.7 million, and the recent ten year average hovers near 12 million. In no reality could the Colorado River Compact actually be fulfilled (p85). Ultimately circling back, the book ends with an acknowledgement of this fatal flaw of the Colorado River Compact: inaccurate acre feet & demand, which also did not consider Native water rights (p394). These issues remain today, particularly as the lower basin states have continued to grow. 

Below I have some miscellaneous facts I found interesting- 

Miscellaneous tidbits:

- To zoom out for context, the initial advocates of what became the Hoover Dam were the same people incentivized to settle the West and replace Native Americans. 

- WH Forbes (the very same) supported the initial venture by sending his own engineer to corroborate reports around the potential wealth of today's Imperial Valley.

- In the same area as today's Hoover Dam, King Gillette (of Gillette razors) and John B Stetson (heir to the hat company) were exploring their own private dam to supply water to California. 

- Interesting connection to a previous book, Cadillac Desert, which chronicles the saga of Los Angeles taking water from the Owens River Valley. The main orchestrator of that was William Mulholland, who also testified in support of Hoover Dam (p101). When the biggest dam built under Mulholland, the St Francis Dam, collapsed, he initially suspected his foes in the Owens River Valley. But, it was his engineering that was at fault (p113).

- It's interesting to read about the role Denver played in all this as the hub of trains and commerce for the whole area. It was a hub for Bureau of Reclamation Engineers and every other high level person involved in the job. 

- Two theories of water allocation: riparian and prior appropriation. Riparian theory was most beneficial for agriculture, maintaining that the water used would recharge the area. However, prior appropriation reigned supreme in the West, dominated by miners who ignored riparian law to respect "first in time, first in right" (p76). 

- Interestingly, what became Kaiser Permanente, one of the best models of healthcare according to Big Med, was tested at the Hoover Dam by Henry Kaiser. Workers paid $1.50 a month for comprehensive health care at the company hospital (p260). 

- After Harold Ickes, FDR's Secretary of Interior renamed it "Boulder Dam" from "Hoover Dam", Hoover never paid another visit to the dam (p312). Additionally, Hoover ironically disliked the idea of government-funded power generation, preferring to keep power generation private (p80). 

- The behavior of Elwood Mead, head of the Bureau of Reclamation 1924-1936, reminded me of Floyd Dominy, head of Bureau of Reclamation 1959 to 1969. In preparing for the Hoover Dam's required land acquisition, the budget was $500,000. Mead undervalued lands to fit that budget "imposing his will" on the land acquisition board in person (p214).

I actually finished this at the end of 2024, but have been slow to blog. 

Overall, this book gave a novel worker-focused perspective to the Hoover Dam. 

Thank you, Alan S, for this recommendation!