Mr. Larry James Neff

Rigger: a Memoir from High School to High Steel Mr. Larry James Neff

This world doesn't exist anymore. It was a time when jobs were plentiful and workers were scarce. The Vietnam War divided the country. The sexual revolution was embraced with open arms. The selective service collected reluctant soldiers. Women sought equality. Music was changing into protest songs to help stop a war. It was a time when, with only a high school diploma, you could follow your father into a high-paying but very dangerous industry. This is a story of a young man's quest, raised on traditional morals and values, finding his way through this tumultuous era. It is also a story of survival in the very dangerous occupation of "hanging iron". Mr. Neff, the son of a steelworker, joined the ranks of Bethlehem Steel employees in 1972, and became a rigger in 1975. The rigger crews in the Steel Company did the jobs that were deemed too high, too hard, or too dangerous for other departments to handle. They also had an earned reputation for being the bad boys of Bethlehem Steel. Rigger is both riotously funny and chilling. It is a look into a world that few have known and that will never exist again.