Copyright ©2010 JerryBorrowman.com
Life and Death at Hoover Dam
Released August 2010!
It’s 1931 and men are desperate for jobs. A lucky few will get to work in the searing
heat of the Nevada desert on the massive Hoover Dam, the single largest public
works project in history. Their goal is to tame the mighty Colorado River with a dam
that towers sixty stories high from the base of the canyon to the crest of the dam and
that will create the largest manmade lake in the world.
Life and Death at Hoover Dam tells the story of a handful of these men, and the
sacrifices they endured from choking on gasoline fumes in five-story tunnels that
exceeded 120 degrees to dangling by slender cables from the thousand foot walls
of the canyon to blast the loose rock and gravel into oblivion. And together they’ll
fight the river with all their might, and perhaps their lives, as flash floods threaten to
destroy all they have worked to accomplish.
Meet the Conroy brothers; David an engineer who works directly with Frank Crowe,
Chief Engineer and the world’s foremost builder of dams, and Pete, his older
brother who is as wild as the Colorado River itself. Pete is a crew foreman, first
working on the scraping and blasting of the sheer cliff walls into which the dam
must be anchored, and then in the massive forms where seven million tons of
concrete will settle—some say to last a thousand years. Sean O’Donnell, a scrappy
Irishman who worked on the Empire State Building in New York City whose family
desperately wants him to come home. And Tony Capelli, the worker who will pay the
greatest price of all—a farmer from southern California whose land will become
verdant and productive once the flow of Colorado River water is assured. But
prejudice is rampant against those of foreign birth, even though American citizens,
and Tony will face mortal danger as he struggles to stay on the job and feed his
family. In the end, these men and the 20,000 others who worked on the dam will
build a monument that will make possible the palm trees of Los Angeles and the
desert oasis of Phoenix. This is the story of their lives—the men who built the
matchless Hoover Dam.
To read a complimentary short story about one of the characters
in his new book, click here. The short story, "Runaway Train at
Hoover Dam," will leave you breathless and will give you a flavor
for what's coming in the book, an exciting tale about the building
of one of the most remarkable projects in American History.
The short story is not an excerpt from the book. Let us know
what you think by clicking on "Ask Jerry" and sending your
thoughts about the story.
Released August 2010!
It’s 1931 and men are desperate for jobs. A lucky few will get to work in the searing
heat of the Nevada desert on the massive Hoover Dam, the single largest public
works project in history. Their goal is to tame the mighty Colorado River with a dam
that towers sixty stories high from the base of the canyon to the crest of the dam and
that will create the largest manmade lake in the world.
Life and Death at Hoover Dam tells the story of a handful of these men, and the
sacrifices they endured from choking on gasoline fumes in five-story tunnels that
exceeded 120 degrees to dangling by slender cables from the thousand foot walls
of the canyon to blast the loose rock and gravel into oblivion. And together they’ll
fight the river with all their might, and perhaps their lives, as flash floods threaten to
destroy all they have worked to accomplish.
Meet the Conroy brothers; David an engineer who works directly with Frank Crowe,
Chief Engineer and the world’s foremost builder of dams, and Pete, his older
brother who is as wild as the Colorado River itself. Pete is a crew foreman, first
working on the scraping and blasting of the sheer cliff walls into which the dam
must be anchored, and then in the massive forms where seven million tons of
concrete will settle—some say to last a thousand years. Sean O’Donnell, a scrappy
Irishman who worked on the Empire State Building in New York City whose family
desperately wants him to come home. And Tony Capelli, the worker who will pay the
greatest price of all—a farmer from southern California whose land will become
verdant and productive once the flow of Colorado River water is assured. But
prejudice is rampant against those of foreign birth, even though American citizens,
and Tony will face mortal danger as he struggles to stay on the job and feed his
family. In the end, these men and the 20,000 others who worked on the dam will
build a monument that will make possible the palm trees of Los Angeles and the
desert oasis of Phoenix. This is the story of their lives—the men who built the
matchless Hoover Dam.
To read a complimentary short story about one of the characters
in his new book, click here. The short story, "Runaway Train at
Hoover Dam," will leave you breathless and will give you a flavor
for what's coming in the book, an exciting tale about the building
of one of the most remarkable projects in American History.
The short story is not an excerpt from the book. Let us know
what you think by clicking on "Ask Jerry" and sending your
thoughts about the story.
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| Mike Ramsdell – author of the best- selling book, A Train to Potevka Jerry Borrowman’s skillful writing and attention to detail puts the reader front and center into one of man’s greatest engineering accomplishments during the last one hundred years—the construction of the magnificent Hoover Dam. His masterful use of dialogue creates intriguing characters who bring the story to life. |
| Praise From Readers |
Reader Reviews:
David Boyd, Civil Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado District,
working onsite at Hoover Dam
As an engineer at Hoover Dam I was asked to give a special guided tour to Jerry
Borrowman, author of an upcoming book. I thought it would be like Gilligan's Island --
"Just a three hour tour…." It took six hours and at the end of our time together I was
surprised to find that a real friendship had developed, based on common interests.
When a draft manuscript showed up with a request to proof-read for technical and
historical facts I picked it up and began reviewing the pages for facts. I soon discovered
that there was much more to the book than facts and figures, although Jerry certainly
gets those right—it was filled with the emotions of pride, stubbornness, determination,
and the ugliness of prejudices that were prevalent during the "Depression Era". It
showed the character and dedication of the workers who lived and died constructing
one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders—the incomparable Hoover
Dam. Life and Death at Hoover Dam is a great book for readers of all ages.
Bill Gallagher
Being a student of history and growing up in Las Vegas, I thought I knew all about the
building of Hoover Dam. I even had the chance to scuba dive down to the old Concrete
Plant, submerged in the waters of Lake Mead for the last 70 years. But Jerry Borrowman
brings the construction of the dam to life in a way I did not think possible. His story of the
drama in the everyday lives of the men who built the dam is a must read for anyone who
has an interest in the growth of the southwestern United Sates. This is a fast paced
story involving one of the greatest of American accomplishments. For all of us who have
read Jerry’s other books, you’ll love this one. For those who are new to his writing, this
is a great place to find a fascinating new author.
David Boyd, Civil Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado District,
working onsite at Hoover Dam
As an engineer at Hoover Dam I was asked to give a special guided tour to Jerry
Borrowman, author of an upcoming book. I thought it would be like Gilligan's Island --
"Just a three hour tour…." It took six hours and at the end of our time together I was
surprised to find that a real friendship had developed, based on common interests.
When a draft manuscript showed up with a request to proof-read for technical and
historical facts I picked it up and began reviewing the pages for facts. I soon discovered
that there was much more to the book than facts and figures, although Jerry certainly
gets those right—it was filled with the emotions of pride, stubbornness, determination,
and the ugliness of prejudices that were prevalent during the "Depression Era". It
showed the character and dedication of the workers who lived and died constructing
one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders—the incomparable Hoover
Dam. Life and Death at Hoover Dam is a great book for readers of all ages.
Bill Gallagher
Being a student of history and growing up in Las Vegas, I thought I knew all about the
building of Hoover Dam. I even had the chance to scuba dive down to the old Concrete
Plant, submerged in the waters of Lake Mead for the last 70 years. But Jerry Borrowman
brings the construction of the dam to life in a way I did not think possible. His story of the
drama in the everyday lives of the men who built the dam is a must read for anyone who
has an interest in the growth of the southwestern United Sates. This is a fast paced
story involving one of the greatest of American accomplishments. For all of us who have
read Jerry’s other books, you’ll love this one. For those who are new to his writing, this
is a great place to find a fascinating new author.
