From My Book Shelf...

A Book for All Pittsburghers

I found a web site today for a link I'd like to share. You see, one Christmas recently my brother gave me a book as a gift. It's called Millhunks and Renegades by Anita Kulina .  Historical, the brownish orange cover glows with a  steel mill scene, and inside the pages tell the story of an equally fiery population. It's all about Pittsburgh! Specifically it is a book about the Greenfield-Hazelwood area of the city, the neighborhood where I grew up--but this is actually a story for all Pittsburghers. 

Anita Kulina starts at the beginning when that area was simply wilderness and traces the terrain, history, and  people up to the present. She more than successfully captures the evolving rambunctious spirit of that Pittsburgh mill neighborhood from its inception.  In  later chapters, she relates the magnificent experience of growing up in Greenfield in the 50's. I'm telling you, when I read the book I wore a smile for every page. Absolutely delightful! The Irish, the Italian, the Slovaks--the misbehaving--it's all in there. From tribes and trappers all the way through to the town today. It is a beautiful book with an abundance of fine drawings to serve as illustrations. First-rate! Ms. Kulina's research is amazing in itself. 

So, if you're a typical Pittsburgher who grew up in a mill neighborhood in the Mon Valley, or if you're curious about Pittsburgh's roots--then get this book. I don't know Anita Kulina, and she's not paying me to say all this. I just loved the book so much I want to spread the word. 

You can get it from this web site:  Millhunks and Renegades