Rust Belt Boy: Stories of an American Childhood

by Paul Hertneky

These stories are specific to one legendary riverfront plateau and one boy s journey, but are emblematic of immigrant life and blue-collar aspirations during the heyday of American industry and its crash, foreshadowing one of the largest internal migrations in U.S. history.
Approximately six million baby boomers, like the narrator, fled the Rust Belt. Another six million remained and stories of their youth, struggles, and aspirations echo throughout this book. Pittsburgh alone attracts die-hard affinity with its scattered natives."

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, History, Autobiography

224 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a winner! Paul has written a memoir that explains this region in Pennsylvania as much as filling in the intriguing personal details of his life. I was there with the family at McDonald's on payday, fighting for a spot in the crowded (5 children!) station wagon to eat the coveted cheeseburger and shake. Paul's family were Catholics, and the Church was woven well into the fabric of this story. I really liked the positive effect that Paul's dad had on the family. A great read and would spark some discussion from Baby Boomers growing up in the rust belt.

[Jeffrey Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hertneky has written a story that is uniquely his own, but that will resonate with anyone who lived in the industrial regions of the country. Although my own experience growing up in another small town in the surrounds of Pittsburgh - which was built around steel, coal and glass - varies in many ways from Paul's, the core of life he describes in the shadow of heavy industry is a shared memory. This is a bittersweet trip through the halcyon days of a once powerful manufacturing empire, until its ultimate downfall. I found I was disappointed the book was not longer.

[Peter Biello · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sense of place Hertneky creates here is strong and the history as he tells it is rich. Here's my conversation with Hertneky on NHPR: http://nhpr.org/post/bookshelf-look-l...

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read, especially if you're from the 'Burgh (and particularly if you spent any of your youth in Ambridge & Beaver County). sometimes the sentences were a bit long and cumbersome, and I surely could have done without all the waxing poetic about college sex (pardon me, 'lovemaking' ::barf::), but I enjoyed the book. hertneky really captured the experiences of growing up in a mill town, with working class parents. all the mentions of butter & onions warmed this Ukrainian yinzer's heart.

[phil breidenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul grew up in Ambridge, his father worked at the mill, the same as most of the other men in the town. This book tells snippets of Paul's life as he grew up and as he attempts to leave the town behind, only to find out that he can never leave it, no matter how far he goes.

Having grown up not far away from his hometown, I already knew the story. It strikes a part of my heart as I read his stories. My life was quite different but still they are similar in many ways! He writes very well, I didn't want the book to end.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good memoir on life in Ambridge, PA. I specially liked all the history on the steel mills. My favorite was chapter 8: The Nation's First Economy. Well worth reading if one wants to understand immigrant life and perseverance.

"Pennsylvania adverted itself as a haven for religious expression, and separatists of vetting stripes came in droves - Quakers, Shakers, Mennonites, Harmonists, and others. Within ten years of arriving in Philadelphia and forging their way to the frontier, they had built a thriving industrial and agricultural community north of Pittsburgh, and called it Harmony." -Page 69

http://nhpr.org/post/bookshelf-look-l...

[Howard Mansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Hertneky’s hometown, Ambridge, Pa., contained multitudes: big steel works with Bessemer furnaces firing right on a main street, immigrant workers, labor strife, and a forgotten past that includes George Washington and a wildly successful utopia. In this affectionate memoir, Hertneky delivers Ambridge’s heart and soul, and proves that the discovery of America is never ending.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rust Belt Boy Stories of an American Childhood by Hertnecky_ Paul
Industrial north who grew up near mills and steel mines in PA among so many immigrants from many different countries.
Some of the same memories growing up, catholic schools, JFK, being outside.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[Kickstand447 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book that covered the time of my youth growing up in Ambridge. This personal account by someone who was about 1 year younger than me resonated when he described the sights, sounds, foods, culture, and attitudes in Ambridge. A good book & I would recommend it to anyone, particularly those who grew up in Ambridge.

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really captivating memoir. I enjoyed how each chapter was almost like a short story. I borrowed this book from my Mother who told me to read it "to understand what Ambridge was like" when she was growing up. I definitely learned a lot about Ambridge and the region's history. A really good 'Pittsburgh' book.

[Shayna Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you relate to growing up in western PA, then you will understand the deeper meaning behind Hertneky's words and why the history of steel mills is so crucial to the Pittsburgh landscape. An improved review to come.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you grew up in Ambridge or the Pittsburgh area, this is a fun read. Author grew up near Ridge Rd School. Learned some new things about the Ambridge and Economy area.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt and genuine, a wonderful memoir of a life during a time and a place that is told not only by its memories, but by it’s current decay and subsequent, potential rebirth.

[Joyce Derenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of hearing you read at the Seven Bridge Writers Collaborative in Lancaster, MA and bought your new book. Oh how I loved it.

Shall I tell you what I loved:

the way it smelled, sometimes pungent enough to make my filling hurt. (page 25)
Rust meant abandonment (page 26)
how sweat pushed through the petroleum jelly on my arms and hands on July afternoons (page 28)
Every day I battled oxidation - ravages of the past (page 29)I h ave come to see rust as a weathered narrative (page 31)
calling upon the restless to apply a durable sheen (page 31)
lawns the size of burial plots .. as if we would all live out our lives there. (page 34)
in tiny gardens where I stood at eye level with the tomato plants (page 35)felt embraced at the heart of this world where children were seen as divine gifts. (page 36)
apply a poultice of grated potato, and wrap them in vinegar-soaked rags (page 38)
All had been field dressed. that is, gutted and stuffed with grass. (page 61)
their blood dripping down my father's forearms (page 62)
Like a miser pouring over his ledgers ....I never noticed the hours rushing by on a current of curiosity (page 65)
they saw milk, .... they saw honey (page 71)
He found safer work that would take only two of his fingers in thirty years (page 94)
he had become content in his affection for a sixty-pound jackhammer (page 177)

So many passages that resemble my own youth and upbringing with a huge extended family.

Your book, Mr. Hertneky, was an absolute please to read. Thank you for your delicious words.
Joyce Derenas

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's American childhood was spent in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, where I more or less lived for three years. I arrived there after the collapse of the steel industry, so I really enjoyed reading about times when the mills were in operation. Hertneky writes about immigration from Eastern Europe (his family and others), growing up in a mill town, and the power of owners, union leaders, bosses, public office holders, and lawyers. Ambridge is a pretty interesting place, all right.

I wasn't always in sync with Hertneky's writing style. He used a lot of abstractions when I was looking for something more concrete. So, without my personal interest in Ambridge, I might have liked it (3 stars) but not really liked it (4 stars).

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I decided to read this memoir, I knew it would be about growing up in a small town near Pittsburgh but I had no idea it would be Ambridge! Located in Beaver County just like my hometown. As a male with experience in the steel mills, the author had exposure to elements of the local culture that I could only observe. I have to admit to being a bit envious that he got his own individual fries at McDonalds. In my family we bought a large fries order and had to share it when we had the luxury of “restaurant” food. It was fun to read about the familiar streets, restaurants and other locations.

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book since I wanted to do some reading on local history and what Ambridge used to be like. There were some parts I really enjoyed. There were some parts that dragged. And I could have done without the recitation of the author's sexual exploits in college. So it was a mixed bag as a whole. But, as an Ambridge resident, I did find it worth reading for the various stories he included about Ambridge back in the day.

Rating: 3-3.5 Stars (Fairly Good).

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh town, what do you have for me

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sober and thoughtful look at the birth, decline and possible resurgence of a town and its people.

[Darla Carcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to love it but found it very boring.