Book Review: Colossus: Hoover Dam

Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century (2010) Michael A. Hiltzik

The story of the building of Boulder re HOOVER Dam. What an incredible American Adventure! I always wondered how a dam could be built for such a raging river like the Colorado. The creation of the four bypass tunnels were amazing. Hiltzik captures much of the detail of the actual building and the labor issues involved. It would have been interesting to understand more of the basic engineering issues involved. The curing of the immense amount of concrete was astounding. Well over a hundred deaths happened during the construction and it sounds like it could have been many more. Hiltzik does a good job of placing this project in time along with the Great Depression and the New Deal Era of FDR. Overall a great read!