The Docks [Paperback]

The Docksis an eye-opening journey into a giant madhouse of activity that few outsiders ever see: the Port of Los Angeles. In a book woven throughout with riveting novelist detail and illustrated with photographs that capture the frenetic energy of the place, Bill Sharpsteen tells the story of the people who have made this port, the largest in the country, one of the nations most vital economic enterprises. Among others, we meet a pilot who parks ships, one of the first women longshoremen, union officials and employers at odds over almost everything, an environmental activist fighting air pollution in the diesel death zone, and those with the nearly impossible job of enforcing security. Together these stories paint a compelling picture of a critical entryway for goods coming into the countrythe Port of Los Angeles is part of a complex that brings in 40% of all our waterborne cargo and 70% of all Asian importsyet one that is also extremely vulnerable.The Docksis a rare look at a world within our world in which we find a microcosm of the labor, environmental, and security issues we collectively face.

Bill Sharpsteenis a writer and photographer based in Los Angeles. He is the author ofDirty Water: One Mans Fight to Clean Up One of the Worlds Most Polluted Bays(UC Press), and his articles have appeared in theLos Angeles Times Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine,andThe Washington Post.He is also an award-winning documentary producer.

The Docksdelivers a raw and poignant behind-the-scenes view of our port through the eyes of workers, shippers, executives and sideline critics. Sharpsteen pieces together an unvarnished mosaic that reveals the enormity of the operations and its workforce, amidst a perennial maelstrom of debates and competing interests. Geraldine Knatz, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles

An engaging page turner. Sharpsteen captures the feeling and interconnectednesslc<