Fascinating and well done graphic novel! I learned a lot about the Brooklyn Bridge and the making of it.

I am a huge history buff and love to learn about different landmarks. This book is about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is not really my type of book as it is done in Graphic novel or Comic book style. It was still a great book. It takes you from the beginning of the the idea by John Augustus Roebling to the completion 14 years later of the bridge which was oversaw by his son Washington, and his daughter-in-law, Emily.

This book is great for kids and adults alike. It is actually a very short read since most of the book is pictures. But it does give you all the information you need to understand the idea and need for the bridge, how the spot was chosen, and how the construction began and all the way through to the completion.

The book tells of how Washington Roebling developed caisson disease and was pretty much bedridden for most of the 14 years it took to build the bridge but his wife Emily stepped up and pretty much became the chief engineer on site. At the time this was pretty much unheard of for a woman to take this type of role in well pretty much anything.

This book really is worth the time it takes to read it and you come out on the other end knowing a lot about a iconic landmark in the United States history.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Fascinating way to learn

I am sure there are more comprehensive books on the Brooklyn Bridge but this one told me a lot of what I wanted to know. I now have a better idea of the people involved and how the bridge was built. And l found, again, that learning history through a graphic novel is fun. Indeed, I had read and loved the graphic novel “The Invisible War: A Tale on Two Scales” and I hoped that The Bridge would be as good. I was not disappointed. I recommend this book for someone who wants a quick history of the Brooklyn Bridge or is curious how history can be taught through graphic novels.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

I grew up on the West Coast of the United States. The big important bridge here is the Golden Gate Bridge. Many people think that the bridge itself is the Golden Gate, but the bay that it crosses is what bares that name. It was built during the depression, and despite it being there, along with the Bay Bridge, the Richmond Bridge, the San Mateo Bridge, and the San Rafael Bridge, ferry service still happens across the bay.

When the start of this story happens, there are ferries that go across the East River, but because of the ice, they have trouble getting across, or the pilots can not stere, or they are drunk. For whatever reason, the father of Washington Roebling was not happy with the state of the ferry services, and so proposed that a bridge be built and he would design it, along with his son. This all was taking place a few years after the American Civil War, in 1869, and it was not completed until 1883. This was one of the first of its kind, and it killed many people, including, almost killing Washington Roebling himself.

It is all an amazing story, filled with great detail, and tragedy, and joy, and all those things you want in a good story.

That a great thing to have it in such an accessible book. It is a little wordy, for those who want to look at pictures only, you can get the heart of the story, just thumbing through it, but to find out the suffering, and courage it took to keep going, and completing the bridge, it helps if you read all the words.

It was hard to choose which illustrations best represented what you would find in this book, but these are the ones I chose.
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-02-at-11.52.17-PM.png">
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-02-at-11.52.27-PM.png">
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-02-at-11.52.57-PM.png">

A great way to learn about New York history.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

On the evidence of the uncoloured proof on offer, we have an enjoyable slice of history. It takes no side, as such, but rather gives us a very clear presentation of the times when the Brooklyn Bridge was being built, from deep under the river level in search of bedrock, to the times ships' masts were still interfering with the crew, to potentially lethal result. There will be people who wanted the feminism of the industrialist's wife helping him foregrounded, or this or that issue bolted on; as someone who knew very little (and cared less) about the story, I think the straightforward approach is commendable. The politics of it all were sucky, the obstinacy of the couple involved deserve their place in history, and the awful adages, lessons and opinions offered by the father figure here clearly had a quite awesome outcome. It's surprising to read this book took almost as long as the bridge itself in being formed, but it too is worth it.

The story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge is certainly a long and interesting one. But, for me, the early part of the tale, with father/son clashes and civil war went on a bit too long. The inside art was black and white and felt a bit unfinished. Particularly compared to the stunning cover.