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Rust
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
7 posts | 5 read | 27 to read
A young woman's debut memoir of grit and tenacity, as she returns to the conservative hometown she always longed to escape to earn a living in the steel mill that casts a shadow over Cleveland. Steel is the only thing that shines in the belly of the mill... To ArcelorMittal Steel Eliese is known as #6691: Utility Worker, but this was never her dream. Fresh out of college, eager to leave behind her conservative hometown and come to terms with her Christian roots, Eliese found herself applying for a job at the local steel mill. The mill is everything she was trying to escape, but it's also her only shot at financial security in an economically devastated and forgotten part of America. In Rust, Eliese brings the reader inside the belly of the mill and the middle American upbringing that brought her there in the first place. She takes a long and intimate look at her Rust Belt childhood and struggles to reconcile her desire to leave without turning her back on the people she's come to love. The people she sees as the unsung backbone of our nation. Faced with the financial promise of a steelworkers paycheck, and the very real danger of working in an environment where a steel coil could crush you at any moment or a vat of molten iron could explode because of a single drop of water, Eliese finds unexpected warmth and camaraderie among the gruff men she labors beside each day. Appealing to readers of Hillbilly Elegy and Educated, Rust is a story of the humanity Eliese discovers in the most unlikely and hellish of places, and the hope that therefore begins to grow.
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bio_chem06
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
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Got my new Chicago library card, FINALLY back to a routine and picking up my TBR.
I attempted this book earlier but I wasn‘t in the right head space. This time around I can totally recommend it to any of my Midwestern people.

review
8little_paws
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
Mehso-so

Eh.... this one didn't really do it for me. I kept putting it down (audio) then forgetting about it. I felt it could've been edited better, it was somewhat verbose. I can't say I really disliked it , but I don't think it'll stick with me and I'm happy it's finished.

review
Megabooks
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
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Pickpick

In a way, this book is about everything. The collision of a generation & a recession. The effect of mental illness on relationships & jobs. The fear that rape, Trump, & the patriarchy instills in some women, & how this can erode faith in the Church.

Eliese is like a lot of millennials: overeducated, in debt, & underemployed. Her bipolar disorder has also kept her from holding steady work. This is her story of taking a job at a steel mill in 2016.

Megabooks Thanks for the rec @Cinfhen and @Reviewsbylola 👍🏻👍🏻 4y
BarbaraBB This sounds so good. Great review! 4y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB it was good! Thanks! 😊 4y
See All 8 Comments
Cinfhen Great review! She really does tackle a lot of BIG topics but she‘s so honest and likable. She would make an awesome Litten 💜 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen true story! 👍🏻💙 4y
Reviewsbylola I‘m glad you enjoyed it! 4y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola thanks for recommending it! 4y
8little_paws I started this on audio and totally stalled--I need to get back to it. TBH I found it kind of boring how she was going into detail about the steelmaking process, but I am also not very far into it and I see so many people liked it so much that I feel I should pick it back up. 4y
84 likes6 stack adds8 comments
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Reviewsbylola
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
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I‘m 9 hours into this and surprised there hasn‘t been more hype about it. I find Eliese to be very honest and genuine in her delivery and she‘s laying waste to the preconceived notions I didn‘t even realize I had about steel workers. Her story is so much more than that though.

@Megabooks and @britt_brooke I think you would both enjoy this one! (Meg I saw you already commented on @Cinfhen ‘s review. Hopefully your library ordered the audio!)

Megabooks Thanks for reminding me!! 5y
britt_brooke Thanks for the rec! #stacked 5y
Cinfhen It meanders a little bit but I was pleasantly surprised. Glad you picked it up, Steph!! 5y
67 likes3 comments
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Christine
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
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Pickpick

A moving, beautiful memoir. Also super educational, as I learned so much about how steel is made and about factory/shift work culture. I could identify a lot with her intellectual/spiritual/political journey. I did the audiobook and think I might have preferred the print in this case, but I recommend the content and Goldbach‘s writing highly. (She details some tough personal experiences, which I can mention in a spoiler comment if anyone wants.)

MallenNC I heard an interview with her on NPR. This book sounds great. 5y
Christine @MallenNC Ooh, I will definitely check that out! I loved the too-brief interview with the author at the end of the audiobook. I very much wish she had narrated the whole thing! 5y
MallenNC @Christine I think it was on Morning Edition late in the week. 5y
56 likes5 stack adds3 comments
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Cinfhen
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
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Pickpick

Overall this was an interesting memoir, well written with a good dose of humor to offset some of the heavier content. Eliese Goldbach, a promising student finds herself adrift after completing her schooling. At 26 she‘s just getting by painting houses, when her friend suggests she apply for a job at the steel mill; a place that has loomed large over her entire childhood. Soon the mill & all it‘s many workers start to fill a void in her life. 👇🏼

Cinfhen Its a story about grit and determination and a close look at the pulse of America during the lead up to the 2016 election. #NetGalley #ARC 5y
Cinfhen Parts about the inner workings of the mill were a bit technical but fascinating. I‘d say #BorrowNotBuy but worth a read 🤓 (edited) 5y
Megabooks Thanks for the tag! I‘ll ask my library to order it. 5y
BarbaraBB Great review! 5y
110 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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Cinfhen
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit | Eliese Colette Goldbach
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Just started this #ARC and I have to say, I‘m smitten 🥰 Great writing!!! Author has a natural gift for storytelling and so far her personal history and experience is entertaining. #NetGalley

Cinfhen @Megabooks I feel like this book is calling your name ❤️ 5y
Princess-Kingofkings I think I would enjoy this as an audiobook. 5y
Megabooks Interesting!! Tag me in your review please 👍🏻 5y
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Cinfhen Agreed @Princess-Kingofkings I think this would work really well on audio! Will do @Megabooks 😁 5y
Reviewsbylola Oh this one is totally being stacked! 5y
Cinfhen I was thinking about you and your mom while reading this book @Reviewsbylola I think you‘ll find it interesting. First third was really good, started to drag a bit in the middle but it wrapped up nicely. I‘d say #BorrowNotBuy but definitely worth a read 5y
Crazeedi @Cinfhen this one is definitely a tbr! 5y
92 likes8 stack adds7 comments