The Iron Horse: How the Railroads Changed America - Hardcover

An engrossing, highly readable account of the social and political issues surrounding the development of railroads in the US. Wormser not only describes the benefits of rail travel but provides information on earlier means of transportation, then focuses on greedy, ruthless, and corrupt railroad magnates; the important role of railroads in the Civil War; Chinese railroad workers (though their 1867 strike isn't mentioned); famous train robbers; Pullman and his dining and sleeping cars; and farmers' and railroad workers' revolts. The destruction of Native-American society and culture is touched on briefly. The author gives little information on technology, except for a chapter on safety improvements; Fisher's Tracks Across America (1992), which otherwise covers similar ground, tells more about engineering developments, and also has a far more handsome format. Still, Wormser gives more detail on other topics, plus many different incidents. (See also Jim Murphy's excellent Across America on an Emigrant Train, p. 1465) Contemporary quotes enliven the text, but are only minmally documented--notes would have increased the book's value. B&w photos; brief bibliography including juvenile titles; index (not seen). (Nonfiction. 11+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 7 Up-An interest-holding, skillful condensation of the history of American railroads that avoids oversimplifying the grandeur and drama inherent in the subject. Wormser makes it clear that while the railroads brought about a greater unification of the nation and provided cheaper, faster transportation for goods and people, these outcomes were frequently at the expense of farmers, workers, Amerindians, investors, the government, and others. Many were ruthlessly exploited or financially ruined by such robber barons as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Collis Huntington, and Jay Gould; these men, says the author, "could get away with murder and often did." The coverage is topical, rather than strictly chronological; this, along with the straightforward prose, helps to make for a book that can be read for enjoyment as well as for assignments. It complements Dee Alexander Brown's Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow (Holt, 1975; o.p.) and Oliver Jensen's The American Heritage History of Railroads (American Heritage, 1975; o.p.); both titles are in Wormser's bibliography.
David A. Lindsey, Lakewood Junior/Senior High School, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.