Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings: A Life in Construction
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.38 (717 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0312641672 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-04-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Florman made his way as a general contractor in New York City through the period of explosive development, private exuberance and the historic growth of publicly supported housing--all amidst the rise of the notorious Mafia families,and evolution of the Civil Rights Movement. Good Guys, Wiseguys, and Putting Up Buildings is an engaging memoir about one man's career in construction--rising to the top of an industry renowned for crime, corruption, violence, physical danger, and the chronic risk of financial catastrophe.Starting in the Navy Seabees at the end of WWII, Samuel C. His storied career brought him into contact with a variety of personalities: politicians and civil servants, developers and technocrats, saintly do-gooders and corrupt rapscallions. Along with the rousing adventures there were satisfactions of a different sort:the enchantment of seeing architecture made real; the pride of creating housing, hospitals, schools, places of worship--shelter for the body and nourishment for the spirit.
“Clear, erudite, and occasionally eloquent, a useful read for engineers given to self-scrutiny and a stimulating one for the layman interested in the ancient schism between machines and men's souls.” Time on THE EXISTENTIAL PLEASURES OF ENGINEERING“Mr. Florman, an engineer, has a gift for prose and is, besides, a kindly, clear thinker.” The New Yorker on THE EXISTENTIAL PLEASURES OF ENGINEERING“Gracefully written .Refreshing and highly infectious enthusiasm .Imaginatively engineered.” The New York Times Book Review on THE EXISTENTIAL P
Florman is the chairman of Kreisler Borg Florman General Construction Company. He has published six books and over 250 articles and has written numerous reviews for The New York Times Book Review. Samuel C. He has spoken at many engineering schools and discussed professional topics on television and radio.
"Five Stars" according to Sal Russo. Book arrived as advertised. Thanks for the quick delivery.. So interesting. I bought this book after seeing it previewed in the Journal. It did not disappoint. Samuel Florman, a comfortably middle class Jewish kid, improbably finds a career in building New York. He builds his own firm - Kreisler Borg Florman while handling construction in the midst of mafia wise guys, community activists and politicians on both sides of the honesty aisle.The book is full of anecdotes from his long career - and gives an insider view of building tall buildings and the headaches and triumph that result.Florman is an accomplished author, his prose is straightforward and entertaining.If you ha. jojo said jasoave1@optonline.net. Starts fast in the first half and slows down in the second half - could have used more "inside" stories that probably exist but were not included in the book. What was included is accurately described. May only be interesting to people working in some aspect of the construction industry.