Senator Ted Kennedy said, "My father worked here. The Fore River Shipyard will once again be a symbol of our leadership. And I will do all I can to insure that this leadership continues to thrive. The shipbuilding industry has been struggling in this country as a whole. Employment has dropped to a 40 year low. American-built ships carry less than one percent of world trade. That is unacceptable." Senator John McCain said, "We have an obligation to protect the taxpayers' dollars by ensuring that this is a viable project. It is my desire that the Quincy shipyard, into which the state of Massachusetts and the city of Quincy have invested significant resources, will be a successful venture." President Clinton said about shipbuilding and the Quincy yard in particular, "Shipbuilding is one of the keys to America's national defense and helping our shipbuilders succeed commercially is an important goal of defense conversion. This administration is committed to preserving highly skilled American jobs and we believe that American shipbuilding can compete and win in world markets." What happened...? SHIPBUILDING USED TO BE ONE OF THE TOP FIVE INDUSTRIES IN THE U.S.A.

THE FIRST SHIPYARD GIRLS NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, NANCY REVELL. ___________________ Sunderland, 1940, and the women go to the shipyards to do their bit for the war effort. Polly never dreamed she would be able to work in the shipyards like the men in her family but times are tough and her new job ends up giving her more than she ever expected when she meets enigmatic dock diver Tommy Watts. During the day, head welder Rosie teaches her fledgling flock of trainees their new trade, but at night she hides a secret life. And mother hen Gloria signs up to escape her brutal husband, but finds she can't run from her problems. The Shipyard Girls start off as strangers - but end up forging an unbreakable bond of friendship in the most difficult times. Praise for The Shipyard Girls series: 'Nancy Revell knows how to stir the passions and soothe the heart!' The Northern Echo 'The author is one to watch' Sun 'A brilliant read' Take a Break 'Well-drawn, believable characters combined with a storyline to keep you turning the pages' Woman

The author was inspired to write these memoirs of the years he spent growing up in the Pennsylvania steel town of Bethlehem before the Second World War by the realization that they were a pivotal time in American history. While Americans were struggling with the economic hardships of the Great Depression, they never gave up and instead made the best of what they had. Out of their triumph over hardship grew the generation that fought and won the Second World War. The society and culture exemplified by the Pennsylvania steel towns has now vanished but it is hard not to think that, while we have gained much as a society, we have also lost far too many things worthy of preservation. One of these was the great Bethlehem Steel plant itself, the ruins of which stretch for miles along the Lehigh River. Dominating the ruins are the ghostly remains of the five great blast furnaces, preserved to remind people of the greatness that was once Bethlehem Steel and the community that lived in its shadows.

From football games at Kezar Stadium to a perfectly broiled Zim burger, San Franciscans have fond memories of the decades after World War II. Dressing up for a movie at the Fox Theatre on Market Street, catching the train at the old S.P. Station on Third and Townsend, taking the streetcar downtown to see magnificent displays in the Emporium's windows or spending a day at Golden Gate Park, the outside lands of San Francisco were teeming with youngsters and the young-at-heart alike. Western Neighborhoods Project columnist and San Francisco native Frank Dunnigan offers a charming collection of nostalgic vignettes about the thriving Western communities of unforgettable people and places that defined generations.

THE SECOND SHIPYARD GIRLS NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, NANCY REVELL. ‘Nancy Revell knows how to stir the passions and soothe the heart!’ Northern Echo *********** 1941: it takes strength to work on the docks, but the war demands all hands on deck and the women are doing their best to fill the gap. Rosie is flourishing in her role as head-welder while still keeping her double life a secret. But a dashing detective is forcing Rosie to choose between love and her duty. Gloria is hiding her own little secret – one that if found out, could not only threaten her job, but her life. And the shipyards are proving tougher than Polly ever imagined, while she waits for her man to return home safely. Join the shipyard girls as they journey through the hardships of life, love and war. Praise for The Shipyard Girls series: 'the author is one to watch' Sun ‘A brilliant read’ Take a Break ‘Well-drawn, believable characters combined with a storyline to keep you turning the pages’ Woman