Docks

by Bill Sharpsteen

The Docks is an eye-opening journey into a giant madhouse of activity that few outsiders ever see: the Port of Los Angeles. In a book woven throughout with riveting novelist detail and illustrated with photographs that capture the frenetic energy of the place, Bill Sharpsteen tells the story of the people who have made this port, the largest in the country, one of the nation’s most vital economic enterprises. Among others, we meet a pilot who parks ships, one of the first women longshoremen, union officials and employers at odds over almost everything, an environmental activist fighting air pollution in the “diesel death zone,” and those with the nearly impossible job of enforcing security. Together these stories paint a compelling picture of a critical entryway for goods coming into the country—the Port of Los Angeles is part of a complex that brings in 40% of all our waterborne cargo and 70% of all Asian imports—yet one that is also extremely vulnerable. The Docks is a rare look at a world within our world in which we find a microcosm of the labor, environmental, and security issues we collectively face.

Genres: Transport, Nonfiction

326 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2010

Reviews

[Linda Gaines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book that looks into all aspects of the Los Angeles Port. The author does a good job of looking at all sides of various controversies with port including labor versus employers and the port versus the surrounding neighborhoods and environmentally concerned citizens. The book is set up for the most part as a series of stories or interviews with various people involved with or affected by the running of the port.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read, well researched, and fascinating look at the operations at the Los Angeles Harbor. Having a bit of familiarity with some of those interviewed, read with just a grain of salt. Otherwise highly recommended.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'It took me a lot of years to understand exactly why you felt good when the day was over. ... And just like a brain surgeon when he finishes a successful operation, or a scientist who succeeds at a certain experiment, or an athlete who perfects the fastest time because everything clicks for him that day -- the technique, all the speed, all the energy, and he's accomplished something. Workers do the same thing. When a worker loads or unloads a ship -- back then, it was like a jigsaw puzzle to load and unload ships. It took a different kind of skill, and when you got done, you looked to see what you got accomplished, and you knew you accomplished something that day. The winch drivers have their skill. The hold men have their skills. The people who drive forklifts have their skills. And everybody worked together. There was camaraderie.'" (quoting hold man Art Arian, 198-9)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit I thought this would be interesting because season 2 of The Wire (the one that focuses on the docks of Baltimore) is one of my all-time favorites. Although this book is all about the port of Los Angeles, it did not disappoint. The author does a terrific job of portraying all sides of the history of the docks--the longshoremen, their union, the employers/shippers, the environmentalists and community activists. I think the most interesting stories to me were about the women who integrated the union (and how they even prefer to be called longshore"men" themselves). Really tightly written too, and didn't ever drag, which is something I can't often say about non-fiction.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The images most Americans have of a modern port are of eight-story hammerhead cranes and multicolored shipping containers stacked five-high at a terminal waiting to be loaded on to a truck or train or shipped empty back to Asia. But in The Docks, Bill Sharpsteen introduces us to the people behind (and below) those images...

My full review appeared on Books & Culture's website:

http://www.booksandculture.com/articl...

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed here: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blo...

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing something about the merchant marines, and this was an incredible insight. A little dry at times, but captivating for the most part.