This Bridge Will Not Be Gray

By Dave Eggers and Tucker Nichols

A “witty [and] compelling” true story for kids about San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge—and why it’s orange—by the New York Times–bestselling author! (Fast Company).

In this delightfully original nonfiction book, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dave Eggers tackles one of the most famous architectural monuments in the world: the Golden Gate Bridge—and all the arguments and debates about building it and what it should look like. Cut-paper illustrations by Tucker Nichols enliven the tale, and this revised edition also includes real-life letters from local constituents making the case for keeping the bridge orange.

With sly humor and lots of fascinating historical facts, this is an accessible, enjoyable read for kids (or adults), transporting readers to the glorious Golden Gate no matter where they live.

“Eggers’s featherlight humor provides laughs throughout.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review).

“A love letter to infrastructure.” —The New York Times

“A story compelling enough to keep adults interested as they read it (and re-read it and re-read it) each night at bedtime.” —Fast Company

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781452165868

Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers, a former professional stundman, is the editor of McSweeney's and the author of the New York Times bestseller A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Book preview

In the beginning there was a bridge.

THE MIGHTY PACIFIC

No, before that, there was a bay. A bay that led to the ocean. This ocean was the Pacific.

THE GOLDEN GATE

The passageway between the bay and the ocean was called the Golden Gate. On one side of the Golden Gate was the Presidio, a military base at the top of the city of San Francisco. On the other side there were only hills, green and yellow, rising high above the sea. Beyond these hills were a series of small towns along the coast.

The only way to get to these towns was by boat, or by going very far north and coming back down again. It was not easy.

So over the years many had proposed building a bridge between San Francisco

Reviews for This Bridge Will Not Be Gray

[dknight0918 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed learning more about the Golden Gate Bridge. The illustrations were nice, too.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having greatly enjoyed Dave Eggers' subsequent non-fiction picture-book about another American icon - Her Right Foot, which addresses the subject of the Statue of Liberty - I picked up This Bridge Will Not Be Gray with some anticipation. I believe it was Eggers' debut as a children's author. Using a humorous, conversational style, the narrator here relates the story of how San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge came to be built, and how it came to be the unusual orange color it is. No bridge before it had ever been that color, but through the efforts of Irving Morrow, the architect involved in the project, as well as his many citizen supporters, the Golden Gate Bridge gained (or rather, retained) its distinctive hue...I found This Bridge Will Not Be Gray to be an engaging work of history, one which highlights both the beauty and the uniqueness of this iconic San Francisco structure, while also exploring the (ideal) role of the citizenry in contributing to these kinds of massive projects. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of a number of letters written to and in support of Irving Morrow, at the rear of the book, although I would also have liked to have seen a list of further sources. The artwork from Tucker Nichols, done in what looks like paper collage, is interesting and attention-grabbing, with a constructed sensibility that feels right in a book about building a bridge. Recommended to Dave Eggers fans, and to anyone looking for children's books about the Golden Gate Bridge.

[michelleannlib · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this - I do wish that their was some more details about the Golden Gate bridge at the end of the book. But otherwise, wonderful!