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

As breathtaking today as when it was completed, Hoover Dam ranks among America's most awe-inspiring, if dubious, achievements. This epic story of the dam--from conception to design to construction--by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik exposes the tremendous hardships and accomplishments of the men on the ground--and in the air--who built the dam and the demonic drive of Frank Crowe, the boss who pushed them beyond endurance. It is a tale of the tremendous will exerted from start to finish, detailing the canny backroom dealings by Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the herculean engineering challenges Crowe faced, and the terrific union strikes by the men who daily fought to beat back the Colorado River. Colossus tells an important part of the story of America's struggle to pull itself out of the Great Depression by harnessing the power of its population and its natural resources.

Author: Michael Hiltzik
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 05/03/2011
Pages: 512
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.99lbs
Size: 8.42h x 5.50w x 1.25d
ISBN: 9781416532170

About the Author
Hiltzik, Michael: - Michael Hiltzik is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author who has covered business, technology, and public policy for the Los Angeles Times for three decades. He currently serves as the Times's business columnist and hosts its business blog, The Economy Hub. His books include Big Science, The New Deal, Colossus, Dealers of Lightning, and The Plot Against Social Security. Mr. Hiltzik received the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for articles exposing corruption in the entertainment industry. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two children. Follow him on Twitter @HiltzikM.