A while ago I finished Stephen E. Ambrose's book; Nothing Like it in the World: The Men who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869.
Like so many of his other books I've read (audio books) I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
From a reviewer on Amazon, Gerard Chamorin:
In his new book, "Nothing Like It in The World: The Men Who Built The Transcontinental Railroad 1863-69", Stephen E. Ambrose is following the same process he has followed in his World War II books and his "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West": he tries to bring the reader to see things from many angles: from the top ranks (Financiers, politicians, engineers) to the individual workers. He shows the life of the Chinese workers (West side) and Irish and multinational workers (East Side); describes the life of ordinary people during the construction; shows the danger of using black powder; shows the problems with the Native American populations; analyzes the presence of some 500 African Americans after the Civil War (former Slaves from the South), with at the same time the presence of former Union and Confederate veterans IN THEIR UNIFORMS on the workplace!
It's interesting to learn about the process and the men who participated. I was most impressed with the Chinese workers!
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