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| Plot Summary of Grand Coulee: Harnessing a Dream |
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"This book is about the building of Grand Coulee Dam. It was first built to provide electrical power. Electricity came on line in 1942, just in time for WWII. Major ship-building and aircraft manufacturing in the Pacific Northwest needed hundreds of kW of power. The dam also supplied cheap power to the nuclear site at Richland, Washington, which was manufacturing the plutonium to build the atomic bomb. After war time, the dam became the anchor of a vast irrigation project that waters half a million acres of central Washington.
This book is a fascinating account of the building of Grand Coulee Dam. The book is a story of how an idea to dam the river for irrigation became reality. It talks about the major players who fought for the dam to be built. It is a story of politics and how FDR had to fight with his own congress to get money for the dam. It is a story of the physical building of the dam. The story tells how the project was constantly under pressure to get people back to work, since people were hurting during those depression days. When large numbers of people were hired, then the project was criticized for preferential hiring of WWI vets, people who lived in the three nearby counties, then those in Washington state in general, before those from outside could be hired. The final chapters cover how the purpose of the dam expanded to include irrigation, flood control, and recreation.
It is a fascinating story reading about the coordination and difficulties behind building such a huge project. The author covers how unions tried to organize the laborers. And how they had to overcome engineering difficulties. One of those difficult problems they dealt with were the constant landslides on the two banks of the Columbia River. At one point, pipes were inserted into the wet cliff side and a refrigeration unit literally froze the dirt into place. It also discusses how towns had to be relocated and roads rerouted.
Anyone interested in engineering would probably appreciate this story the most. There are a huge number of bibliographic notes if a person has a desire to learn more. "
BethG, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Grand Coulee: Harnessing a Dream |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- 1930's
Nationality?
- American--General
Economic History?
Yes
Industry
- Construction
Subjects of this Historical Account
Ethnicity (if plays a major part)
- European/White
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
From a certain profession/group?
- businessmen
Intelligence of subject of
history:
- Smart
Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group?
- politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Nationality?
- American
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Pacific NW
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
If applicable, liberal/conservative?
- Historian is very liberal
Style
How much gore?
- 1 ()
How fast-paced is the book?
- 4 ()
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel...
- challenged
How much focus on stories of individuals?
- Focuses mostly on history of key players
How much romance?
- 1 ()
Minor characters feature lots of:
- blue collar types
Is this a kid's book?
- Ages 16-Adult
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A significant amount
Maps necessary?
- Maps not in sufficient detail
Length of book
- 450 pages+
How much emphasis on small details?
- 7 ()
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Click here for more information about this book
Paul C. Pitzer Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 BethG
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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