What do you think?
Rate this book
Many Voices: Building Erie, The Canal That Changed America
“The Nation’s First Superhighway” existed before the spread of cars… or even railroads! This immersive photo book ferries readers through the past and present of the Erie Canal, from impossible idea to groundbreaking reality.
In the twenty-first century, it’s hard to imagine a canal as cutting-edge technology. Yet even to the most scientifically-minded, the Erie Canal once seemed an unachievable dream. Thomas Jefferson himself called it “nothing short of madness;” one critic felt sure it was impossible as “building a canal to the moon.” Yet with eight years and nearly $185 million dollars in today’s currency, the Erie Canal opened in 1825 to celebratory cannon fire: an innovating—and enduring—marvel of engineering.
But as the Canal shaped the flow of American history, the sociopolitical impact reached much further than its shores. A largely untold tale of creativity and cowardice, sacrifice and greed, heroism and prejudice, the Erie Canal’s story is as complex and compelling as that of America itself.
Award-winning nonfiction author Laurie Lawlor captures the landmark achievements of the Erie Canal while diving deep into corporate greed, environmental devastation, poor working conditions, and its impact on the Haudenosaunee people. Pairing rich back matter (including maps, source notes, an index, bibliography, glossary, and timeline) with attention grabbing photographs, accomplished STEAM storyteller Laurie Lawlor connects the Erie Canal’s past and present to plumb the depths of unexplored American history.
In the twenty-first century, it’s hard to imagine a canal as cutting-edge technology. Yet even to the most scientifically-minded, the Erie Canal once seemed an unachievable dream. Thomas Jefferson himself called it “nothing short of madness;” one critic felt sure it was impossible as “building a canal to the moon.” Yet with eight years and nearly $185 million dollars in today’s currency, the Erie Canal opened in 1825 to celebratory cannon fire: an innovating—and enduring—marvel of engineering.
But as the Canal shaped the flow of American history, the sociopolitical impact reached much further than its shores. A largely untold tale of creativity and cowardice, sacrifice and greed, heroism and prejudice, the Erie Canal’s story is as complex and compelling as that of America itself.
Award-winning nonfiction author Laurie Lawlor captures the landmark achievements of the Erie Canal while diving deep into corporate greed, environmental devastation, poor working conditions, and its impact on the Haudenosaunee people. Pairing rich back matter (including maps, source notes, an index, bibliography, glossary, and timeline) with attention grabbing photographs, accomplished STEAM storyteller Laurie Lawlor connects the Erie Canal’s past and present to plumb the depths of unexplored American history.
- GenresNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
Published August 19, 2025
33 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Lawlor
54 books26 followersLaurie Lawlor grew up in a family enamored with the theater. Along with her five brothers and sisters she spent summers in a summer stock repertory company in a small mountain town in Colorado that was run by their mother (costumer, cook, accountant, and resident psychiatrist) and their father (artistic director).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 3, 2025
Laurie Lawlor’s Many Voices: Building Erie, the Canal That Changed isn’t just a history book, it’s an excavation. From the first pages, I felt as though I were stepping onto the towpath myself, hearing the creak of wooden lock gates and the distant thunder of celebration cannons from 1825. Lawlor’s narrative is both panoramic and intimate, blending engineering triumph with the human cost behind it.
What impressed me most was how she reframed the Erie Canal, not as a dusty artifact of American mythmaking, but as a deeply complicated, often contradictory undertaking. Yes, it revolutionized commerce and transportation. Yes, it stitched together a young country and ushered in unprecedented economic growth. But Lawlor does not allow the iconic canal to float along on nostalgia. Instead, she digs into the realities many standard histories gloss over: the corporate greed that drove questionable decisions, the brutal labor conditions endured by workers, the environmental scars carved across the landscape, and, most strikingly, the upheaval and injustice forced upon the Haudenosaunee people.
The photos and primary-source materials throughout the book make the era startlingly present. I found myself lingering over the images early construction scenes that look both triumphant and harrowing, maps that reveal how the canal sliced through Native lands, and contemporary views that show how this “superhighway” still lives in modern terrain. The back matter is equally rich; I especially appreciated the timeline and the detailed source notes, which helped me follow the historical threads Lawlor weaves so seamlessly.
Despite covering heavy themes, Lawlor’s writing remains approachable and engaging. She manages to hold admiration for the ingenuity behind the canal while never losing sight of the many voices, celebrated and silenced that shaped it. The book made me rethink the Erie Canal entirely; it is not merely a great American success story but a powerful testament to what progress costs, and to whom.
Many Voices is a thoughtful, eye-opening, and beautifully constructed read. Anyone interested in American history, engineering, or untold stories of the past will find it deeply rewarding.
What impressed me most was how she reframed the Erie Canal, not as a dusty artifact of American mythmaking, but as a deeply complicated, often contradictory undertaking. Yes, it revolutionized commerce and transportation. Yes, it stitched together a young country and ushered in unprecedented economic growth. But Lawlor does not allow the iconic canal to float along on nostalgia. Instead, she digs into the realities many standard histories gloss over: the corporate greed that drove questionable decisions, the brutal labor conditions endured by workers, the environmental scars carved across the landscape, and, most strikingly, the upheaval and injustice forced upon the Haudenosaunee people.
The photos and primary-source materials throughout the book make the era startlingly present. I found myself lingering over the images early construction scenes that look both triumphant and harrowing, maps that reveal how the canal sliced through Native lands, and contemporary views that show how this “superhighway” still lives in modern terrain. The back matter is equally rich; I especially appreciated the timeline and the detailed source notes, which helped me follow the historical threads Lawlor weaves so seamlessly.
Despite covering heavy themes, Lawlor’s writing remains approachable and engaging. She manages to hold admiration for the ingenuity behind the canal while never losing sight of the many voices, celebrated and silenced that shaped it. The book made me rethink the Erie Canal entirely; it is not merely a great American success story but a powerful testament to what progress costs, and to whom.
Many Voices is a thoughtful, eye-opening, and beautifully constructed read. Anyone interested in American history, engineering, or untold stories of the past will find it deeply rewarding.
August 14, 2025
What worked:
This is a comprehensive history of how the Erie Canal connects a quickly growing country. It takes many decades for actual construction to begin, and the book explores the many conflicts involved in the process. European countries fought over the lands, and indigenous people fought to preserve their homes and cultures. Funding the project and determining a route for the canal took years to complete. Qualified engineers can’t be found in America at this time in history, and finding the thousands of workers needed is an additional challenge, including young children. Once construction finally begins, the book delves into the technology and design of the canal and the dangers the workers face. Weather, insects, explosions, and drowning take the lives of thousands of workers. The book winds up by covering the years following the canal’s completion and sharing its status and conditions today.
The abundant facts and information are accompanied by numerous graphics and book sections. Actual drawings, maps, and a few photographs allow readers to see locations, people, working conditions, and canal designs. A bibliography and source notes share the author’s sources if readers want more information about different topics. A timeline gives readers a quick summary of key dates shared in the book. A couple of pages provide suggestions for people wanting to visit the area today. An index helps readers looking for pages about specific topics.
What didn’t work as well:
The vast amount of information may be a bit much for young readers. There are many names, dates, countries, cultural groups, and political figures involved in building the canal. The narrative may be challenging for middle-grade readers, as it’s not simplified for younger minds. It’s probably most appropriate for upper middle-graders or teens.
The final verdict:
This book will make a wonderful resource for the Erie Canal information, but it’s most appropriate for mature readers. It seems to encompass every topic related to its construction and is supported by relevant citations. Overall, I recommend this book for young readers doing research. It’s not light reading.
This is a comprehensive history of how the Erie Canal connects a quickly growing country. It takes many decades for actual construction to begin, and the book explores the many conflicts involved in the process. European countries fought over the lands, and indigenous people fought to preserve their homes and cultures. Funding the project and determining a route for the canal took years to complete. Qualified engineers can’t be found in America at this time in history, and finding the thousands of workers needed is an additional challenge, including young children. Once construction finally begins, the book delves into the technology and design of the canal and the dangers the workers face. Weather, insects, explosions, and drowning take the lives of thousands of workers. The book winds up by covering the years following the canal’s completion and sharing its status and conditions today.
The abundant facts and information are accompanied by numerous graphics and book sections. Actual drawings, maps, and a few photographs allow readers to see locations, people, working conditions, and canal designs. A bibliography and source notes share the author’s sources if readers want more information about different topics. A timeline gives readers a quick summary of key dates shared in the book. A couple of pages provide suggestions for people wanting to visit the area today. An index helps readers looking for pages about specific topics.
What didn’t work as well:
The vast amount of information may be a bit much for young readers. There are many names, dates, countries, cultural groups, and political figures involved in building the canal. The narrative may be challenging for middle-grade readers, as it’s not simplified for younger minds. It’s probably most appropriate for upper middle-graders or teens.
The final verdict:
This book will make a wonderful resource for the Erie Canal information, but it’s most appropriate for mature readers. It seems to encompass every topic related to its construction and is supported by relevant citations. Overall, I recommend this book for young readers doing research. It’s not light reading.
September 23, 2025
Having grown up along the Erie Canal, a book dedicated to how building it changed America was enticing enough. And to get a full picture of all that went into it such as the topography of cutting it out of the earth from one end of New York State to another to connect with the Hudson (the river that flows both ways) was a feat pulled together by many hands, brains, but also turmoil and toil especially because it cut across many Indigenous lands but it was a engineering and transportation boon to aid with travel and trading.
It flows nicely (pun intended) though I can see that it wouldn't be "riveting content" for a general teen reader however it's significance is on full display and the coverage in the book of the canal does work very well.
It flows nicely (pun intended) though I can see that it wouldn't be "riveting content" for a general teen reader however it's significance is on full display and the coverage in the book of the canal does work very well.
August 29, 2025
I was so excited to pick up this book the day it came out, written by Laurie Lawlor, the perfect person to shine a spotlight on the Erie Canal, combining history and the natural world, the wonders of the canal, engineering miracle and devastating to the environment and the Native Americans who had lived there. She tells an amazing story of growth and progress, well researched and illustrated, including many details i had not known or thought about. Salt, the locks and aqueducts, RPI, trade threats from Canada…all told in a fascinating story just in time for the 200th birthday of the Erie Canal, the canal we all know from the song, and now I know the full story.
October 29, 2025
Author Lawlor does a conscientious job of covering all of the voices around the building of the Erie Canal, especially the forgotten ones of the (mostly immigrant) poorly paid laborers, the Haudenosaunee villages obliterated by its construction, and even the families who ended up living on barges going up and down the canal. She also mentions the economic cost, with the destruction of several important wetlands and old-growth forests. But she does end on a hopeful note, as she shows pictures of the canal (and its remains) in modern times.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews