Brooklyn Bridge

This romantized view of the Brooklyn Bridge is a fitting image for my recommendation that you read The Great Bridge by David McCullough.

Like the bridge's web of suspension cables, rich human stories are woven into it as well, deeper than the cables' roots in the bedrock under the twin gothic towers. To really see the bridge, read this book. Look at the spirit of man in action.

By man, I don't just mean men, of course. A key player in this epic story is Emily Roebling, chief engineer Washington Roebling's wife. Without her, it's not the same bridge. Look at how she saved the day after her husband is striken with what we now know as the bends but was then a complete mystery. Look at how she is honored at the completion of the bridge.

Look at the fragile, dramatic nature of history as Washington Roebling survives the battle at Gettysburg and ends up as the bridge's chief engineer, effectively finishing the design from memory!

Look especially at the injustice hurled at Roebling by the press. Then, contrast that to the tepid reaction to the glaring fraud committed against Roebling and the cities of Brooklyn and New York. Then, consider who we honor today when we visit the bridge.

Look at the backdrop of the bridge's creation, featuring the rise and fall of Tammany Hall.

Look at the unknown heroes who contributed to the building of the bridge and, in effect, New York City's first skyscrapers.

Look at all this and more. Then, look again at the bridge. See not just the landmark but the spirit it represents, the spirit we need to embrace to build even greater achievements now and for the future.