He then appeared on the cover of the wall street journal and was interviewed by nbc and cbs for various news shows. Tales from the assembly line, paperback by hamper, ben, isbn 0446394009, isbn 9780446394000, brand new, free shipping in the us a former shoprat in a michigan auto plant offers a gritty account of life in the world of manufacturing, on and off the assembly line. You will never look at a suburban truck the same again. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. Well, former gm factory worker and writer ben hamper doesnt have to imagine howie makem. Tales from the assembly line, he sits at the manhattan offices. I would have to say the book was enjoyable, creative, but not intellectual by far. Tales from the assembly line by ben hamper and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Ben hamper describes a surreal world, populated by rednecks, bullies and crazies.
Free shipping due to covid19, orders may be delayed. His inspiration came from the noise of his riveting gun, jack daniel lunches and meetings with gm management. A book about remaining human, inside a system designed to dehumanise. Hamper worked in the gm truck and bus assembly plant for over 10 years, and along the way met more characters and drank more beer than most do in a lifetime. Ben hamper despised looking at auto underbellies, so he took up writing. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Certainly paradise was hard to find for those working the line.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or. Read rivethead tales from the assembly line by ben hamper available from rakuten kobo. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Tales from the assembly line, he sits at the manhattan offices of his. There was a lot of dry humor which i didn 19t think was amusing and i thought it hindered the thought process of imagining the average blue collar worker. Hamper was born in 1956 in flint, michigan to a blue collar family that worked for.
Tales from the assembly line and millions of other books are available for instant access. Tales from the assembly line by ben hamper is a nonfiction memoir of hamper s life. His story were right on concerning the daily battles between management and the hourly. Initially, the term rivethead had been used since the 1940s as a nickname for north american automotive assembly line and steel construction workers and hit the mainstream through the publication of ben hampers rivethead. Tales from the assembly line ebook written by ben hamper. Right on the entrance gate to the personnel office was a sign that read no applications. Portions of this book originally appeared in a different form in the michigan voice. Rivethead author ben hamper talks about music, general. In a voice often as powerful as the riveting gun he wielded in the. Tales from the assembly line ben hamper, author warner. Aug 18, 1991 flints second dante is a born auto worker. The man the detroit free press calls a blue collar tom wolfe delivers a fullbarreled blast of truth and gritty reality in rivethead, a noholdsbarred journey.
Ben hamper, aka the rivethead, is the one guy with the courage to tell the truth about the american assembly line. Tales from the assembly line is a gritty in your face account of a factory workers struggles against his factory, his coworkers, and the time clock. Rivethead tales from the assembly line by ben hamper. Hamper, the product of generations of gm motors shoprats recounts his 10 torturous but incredibly. Hamper was a factory worker with a remarkable ability to write with humor and sensitivity. Ive long considered ben hampers rivethead to be one of the most important books ive read. Balled and chained to general motors the new york times. Buy this book in a voice often as powerful as the riveting gun he wielded in the 1970s and 80s in a. Social issues of work in ben hampers book riverhead ben hampers book rivethead. The man the detroit free press calls a blue collar tom wolfe delivers. Hamper makes no apologies for any of his actions, many of which were unorthodox or illegal. Jan 16, 2014 ive long considered ben hamper s rivethead to be one of the most important books ive read.
This book brought back numerous memories from my days of being employed by general motors, i was employed there for 40 years and after reading this book i dont know how i did it. Tales from the assembly line kindle edition by hamper, ben, michael moore. Get this book free when you sign up for a 30day trial. Tales from the assembly line, which is otherwise unrelated to the subculture. In the midst of a publicity tour for his first book, rivethead. Objectively, i will say that this is a well composed book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading rivethead. And a town where rivethead ben hamper spent 10 years toiling away as a riveter on an assembly line, collecting the tales that ring this death knell for the industrial age. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Tales from the assembly line by ben hamper goodreads. Written by ben hamper, audiobook narrated by joe don baker.
The book details the life of an average kid in flint, michigan who was predestined to end up working as a shoprat in one of the ten auto factory plants in the region. Rivethead ben hamper down and out memoirs of a line assembly worker for gm motors over the 1980s. Yes, that is what ben hamper was assembling while writing this book. Hes ready for his time in the spotlight, says his agent, david black, but if, as michael moore maintains, rivethead is a breakthrough book, ben hamper may get more attention than he really. In amongst coworkers going postal in the local bar, drinking on the job and witnessing mental breakdowns, hamper wrote the book during his. Tales from the assembly line was published, a memoir of his time toiling at the general motors flint truck and bus factory. The authors writing is sooo selfcongratulatorythe book is a mix of ben hamper describing all the ways in which he got out of doing any work while still getting paid, and remarks and vignettes that ben clearly thinks are incredibly funny.
The man the detroit free press calls a blue collar tom wolfe delivers a. Down and out memoirs of a line assembly worker for gm motors over the 1980s. Tales from the assembly line ben hamper december 14, 2008 sold by grand central publishing the man the detroit free press calls a blue collar tom wolfe delivers a fullbarreled blast. Though the recession was still hovering over the city, i didnt let it detour me. Rivethead ebook by ben hamper 9780446554039 rakuten kobo. Rivethead is riveting, funny, eyeopening line working experience. Tales from the assembly line by ben hamper is a nonfiction memoir of hampers life.
In the film, hamper is shown shooting basketball hoops in the yard at a mental health facility. Tales from the assembly line 1991, a memoir by activist writer ben hamper, tells the story of the years hamper spent working on the general motors assembly line in flint, michigan before he lost his job as part of mass layoffs at the factory. The book is known for being as sarcastic and funny as it is honest as he writes about all the. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read rivethead. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of rivethead. Social issues of work in ben hampers book riverhead essays 1286 words 6 pages. And he writes all about it and other assorted hijinks in his hilarious and yes, thoughtprovoking memoir, rivethead.
Sep, 2012 rivethead ben hamper down and out memoirs of a line assembly worker for gm motors over the 1980s. Rivethead follows the memoirs of bernard ben hamper and his. In amongst coworkers going postal in the local bar, drinking on the job and witnessing mental breakdowns, hamper wrote the book during his shifts on the shop floor. The man the detroit free press calls a blue collar tom wolfe delivers a fullbarreled blast of truth and gritty realit. Ben hamper, alias rivethead, a sometime columnist for the michigan voice and mother jones. Hamper grew up in flint, michigan and worked on the assembly line at the local gm. Tales from the assembly line 1991, a memoir by activist. In a voice often as powerful as the riveting gun he wielded in the 1970s and 80s in a flint, mich. Tales from the assembly line by bernard egan ben hamper iii, is a work of nonfiction. Ben hamper takes the reader into the world of the shoprats and rivetheads, nicknames for people who work building cars. Ben and i both grew up in flint, michigan, the sons of. He then appeared on the cover of the wall street journal and was. Aug 11, 1991 hes ready for his time in the spotlight, says his agent, david black, but if, as michael moore maintains, rivethead is a breakthrough book, ben hamper may get more attention than he really. You cant blame ben hamper for feeling a little overwhelmed.
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