"This pictorial history brings to life the stories of the men and women who, with cement and steel, needle and thread, blood, sweat, and dreams, built New York City in the twentieth century.".

"Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives tells the stories of towering structures and the beam walkers who built them; of immigrant youths in factories and women in sweatshops; of longshoremen and typewriter girls; of dock workers and captains of industry.

It provides a glimpse of the traditions they carried with them to the United States and how they helped create new ones, in the form of labor organizations that provided recent immigrants, often overwhelmed by the intensity of New York life, with a sense of solidarity and security." "The book's photographic images, most drawn from seldom-seen collections of labor movement photographers, are complemented by oral histories that tell the stories behind the images.".

"With narratives at the beginning of each section providing historical context, this book brings the past clearly, emotionally, fascinatingly alive."--BOOK JACKET.