Summary of Amy Goldstein's Janesville

By IRB Media

Get the Summary Amy Goldstein's Janesville in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: Janesville is a city in the state of Wisconsin with a population of nearly 65,000. For 85 years, it was the site of the construction of General Motors' Chevrolet Tahoe cars. Until 2008, when televisions from around the world came to film its last moments, just two days before Christmas. It is the city's second largest industrial event, after George S. Parker Pen's creation of the Parker Pen company. Janesville: An American Story" is the story of a community that survived deindustrialization and recovered through its iron will. Ready to embark on the path of change?

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638153221

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Analysis

of

Amy Goldstein’s

Janesville

An American Story

Table of Contents

Overview

Key Insights

Key Insight 1

Key Insight 2

Key Insight 3

Key Insight 4

Key Insight 5

Key Insight 6

Key Insight 7

Key Insight 8

Important People

Author’s Style

Author’s Perspective

Overview

Janesville: An American Story (2017) by Washington Post reporter Amy Goldstein details the hardships that befell a Wisconsin city of 63,000 people after General Motors (GM) halted production at the Janesville Assembly Plant on December 23, 2008.

For years, rumors circulated that Janesville Assembly, which provided generational economic security for the town, was bound for shutdown. The plant provided a primary source of income for the city’s middle class and a steady stream of tax revenue for the community. It also served as a major source of donations to charities active in the region.

When the shutdown rumors became reality just before Christmas in 2008, Janesville struggled to accept that the factory would remain closed indefinitely. It had closed and reopened before; surely, many thought, it would reopen again. The fact that GM left the plant on standby status, instead of marking it as permanently closed, bolstered faith that it was only a matter of time before the factory made a comeback.

With hope for the factory’s reopening lingering in the background, residents delayed moving on to find fulfilling employment. Some reluctantly agreed to transfer to