Three things drew me to this book: 1) it is a memoir about a young woman living in Cleveland, 2) she has bipolar disorder, and 3) she got a job working in a steel mill. I am around the author's age, live in Cleveland with bipolar disorder, and my father worked in steel, so I felt a kinship with Eliese Colette Goldbach and her book Rust before I even started it. I truly enjoyed Goldbach's memoir, which covered not only the steel mill and mental illness, but also politics, religion, love, and more (trigger warning for past rape). While Goldbach did explore her experiences with family, religion and politics as a child and young adult, most of the narrative focuses on the present Goldbach, who gets a job at a Cleveland steel mill, struggles with her illness and relationships, and eventually grows into a more centered, confident version of herself. I would definitely recommend the audiobook; I thought Kelly Pekar's narration was a perfect fit.

Elise Colette Goldbach's engaging memoir of her life growing up in the shadow and then becoming part of the steel industry in Cleveland is a true tale of middle America. Needing a stable, financially secure job, Goldbach applies for and becomes a steelworker. Through the lens of her job, we are exposed to the wrestling she faces with her religious upbringing, education, competitive perfectionism and mental health. It's the people in the steel mill that help her learn a bigger valuable lesson about life itself and how she fits in in a more minor role. Thank you to the author, publisher Flatiron Book, and Netgalley for the ARC.

A coming of age career story. An honest look at where our country is in educating our young minds, the role politics plays in our everyday lives and and an inside look inside a steel factory. It was good but felt a little lengthy.

This will appeal to people with linear and one-dimensional thinking.

Thank to the publisher for the ARC and all the best to the author (and all the factory workers).

I will be including this title in a Book Riot article about unique non-fiction tales from around the country.

Thank you, Flatiron for my gifted review copy.

I've been all about the memoirs this year, so I was pumped to read this one. I kind of struggled through this one a bit. I will blame it on my expectations. I wanted kind of a down and gritty tale of the steel industry from the view of a woman and truly this is more of Eliese's story and her battles from within. This is well-written and book I think many people will be able to connect with.

🏭BOOK REVIEW🏭

Rust by Eliese Colette Galdbach

-DESCRIPTION-
A memoir from Eliese who does hard, back breaking work in the steel mill of a very conservative hometown. Her life and the lessons she learns.

-THOUGHTS-
This was beautifully written. Very insightful...being a progressive, I tend to judge conservatives. Again, here is a book that has caused me to push back on my own preconceived notions. The comradery that Eliese finds in the steel mill and with the people she loves is inspiring.

-RATING-
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
I recommend this book!

-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
Maid
Glass Castle
The Sound of Gravel

A deep memoir of working in the awful steel mills of Ohio. Much in the pace of Hillbilly Elegy I was moved to finish and understand a not woke attitude of tough work. Highly recommended

When I first read about this novel, I connected in on the level of having been a female in a male dominant workplace, as well as coming from a small country town economically supported by a coal mine. I was very interested to read Goldbach’s experiences.

I got much more than I bargained for, and truly fell in love with her story.

One of my ‘what if’ daydreams is if I had pursued a career at the coal mine in my home town. Plenty of the boys in my HS left for apprenticeships, and I know the money there is good. There have been many times Ive been broke, lonely, working several jobs and thinking, ‘god why didn’t I save myself this shit?!’

So Rust really took me down that path of ‘what if’.

There really is a dynamic to working in male dominant workplace as a woman. Especially as a young single woman. Especially if you aren’t in a typical admin based role. Goldbach describes incidents where she had to play the game, to not take shit but not break the sacred camaraderie. Its a delicate game but she had good advise from her colleagues and has some wins.

The biggest theme I was not expecting was the politics in the novel. Goldbach lives in a conservative state, and as an Australian I am learning the US political scene rather slowly. I was really invested in Goldbachs transition with her support, and her discussions with republican coworkers.

Raised religiously, Goldbach is let down by many of the institutions that she trusted in to keep her safe. From these experiences she begins to questions many of her beliefs, something I felt I could also relate to.


We learn how the men and women that work in the steel mill were exploited during political debate. As an insider Goldbach offers her insight and experience of that campaign. Watching her reality stereotyped on a national stage.

Lastly, Goldbach goes through the very real experience of living with a mental health diagnosis. Not only the insight into her manic phases, but also the management of her illness and the effect it has on her personal and professional life. I especially appreciated the insight into knowing that her role and the circumstances of her job were not helpful to living well with her condition, and recognizing the start an episode.

These themes come up throughout the story, as Goldbach takes us through what it is to get your life together during 2016. To navigate being a woman during the 2016 campaign, to live with a mental illness, to feel defeated, navigate gender roles and tackle relationships.

I fell in love with this book, even if it isn’t the sort of story that you might relate to as much as I did, the insight and commmentary from a woman in the industrial sector is well worth the read.

Eliese leaves no stone unturned whether it’s baring her struggles with bi-polar disorder or sharing snapshots of her life’s work in the local steel mill. The life of a steelworker is a dangerous one, exposing workers to almost inhumane conditions and where the smallest deviation could cause maiming or death. The mill was pretty much the only game in town though and high pay was a major incentive for the workers to provide better care for their families. Eliese shares her very personal and eye-opening account of life and struggles in the rust belt. I was impressed by her determination and grit. I was not a fan of inserting her political opinions.

When I picked up this book I had no idea what to expect. I was delighted to find that in addition to being extremely informative about the steel industry (which I knew nothing about going into this) it also explored the weight of mental illness on the author's career and personal life. While I enjoyed learning about ArcelorMittal, the most interesting parts of the book to me were about how the author's life was and is continually affected by Bipolar Disorder. I found this book to be unlike anything I've read and I would highly recommend!

This was a really fascinating and compellingly written memoir looking at the author's experience working in the Rust Belt in a steel mill, particularly so because of the connections she draws to how she ended up there based on current politics, her education, religious upbringing, class, mental health, and the complexities of a recession. Her commentary and self-awareness of privilege, juxtaposed against her experience with mental health and sexual assault related trauma particularly, was really well developed alongside the everyday issues she encountered as a woman working in a male-dominated workplace.

What I felt was missing was perhaps another chapter or so from Goldbach reflecting on her transition into academia, and how her time in the steel mill informed and impacted that - I would have also been fascinated to see photographs of some of the more technical aspects of her work in the mill (perhaps more wishful thinking on my part as I found these descriptions so fascinating! I would have loved to have seen the scale of some of the work tasks she performed, for example).

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron for sharing this memoir with me. I had high hopes for this book, having grown up in the shadow of a steel mill myself (although not in Ohio) but it ultimately didn’t resonate with me. While I was interested in the descriptions of the mill and its workers and operations, I found myself not that interested in the writer’s personal struggles with mental illness, the economy and her faith. Perhaps I am of the wrong generation to feel much kinship with the woes of the millennials. I’m sure this has its audience, it’s just not me.

Thanks #netgalley #flatironbooks for a free E ARC of #rustamemoirofsteelandgrit in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Eliese shatters the stereotype…….Have you ever thought of a steelworker as a college-educated, twenty-something female?

For Eliese, the “stinky” local steel mill in Cleveland, Ohio represents everything from which she is trying to escape. Although it was never her dream job, practicality demands that she needs job security and a good salary. In Rust, Eliese shares about her childhood, her Christian roots and parents’ values, applying to the mill, receiving a good paycheck, facing daily danger in the mill, forming unexpected friendships, working and maintaining relationships with mental illness, gender equality, and an abundance of political opinions.

I appreciate memoirs, and the genre is one of my favorites. I love experiencing life from a different perspective. Even though I’m not at all interested in steel or the details involved with manufacturing steel, I’m interested in hearing about the everyday life of a steelworker.

The writing in Rust is honest, descriptive, and filled with emotional details. After we hear about her grit, determination, and bravery, we are left with a story of hope. The most inspiring aspect for me is her eventual ability to navigate family and romantic relationships and to handle work tasks and expectations with her mental health challenges. Her story is an encouragement for anyone facing similar challenges.

It did take a bit of time to get used to the timeline which jumped around a bit. Also, I found that the plentiful political commentary was a bit distracting from her story. Although I realize that one’s political ideology is certainly part of becoming an independent adult and differentiating from parents, the amount of it caused me to wonder if it might be her main reason for writing the memoir.

Overall, I appreciate her bravery, grit, and determination to live her best life.

Fans of memoir and readers who live near Cleveland, Ohio, who have worked with steel, live with bipolar, or have similar political views might especially enjoy Rust.

Trigger Warnings: rape, living with mental health challenges (bipolar)

Review published on my blog 3/3/20: https://readingladies.com/2020/03/03/rust-a-memoir-of-steel-and-grit-a-review/

Eliese Goldbach pulls back the curtain to reveal the unseen struggles and contributions to society by steelworkers in Cleveland, Ohio, her hometown. Along the way, she delves into complex issues of mental health, politics, socioeconomic status, gender equality, and religion in her own life. It is, ultimately, a memoir about hope, but there was great suffering on Goldbach's path to this realization.

When Goldbach was young, she viewed the stink of the steel mills as a type of pollution she needed to keep out of her body. But, when her plans to become a nun don't materialize and she faces hurdles to completing the paperwork for her masters degree, Goldbach applies at the steel mill for the paycheck, accepting it as a step backwards in order to move forward into self sufficiency.

"In a Rust Belt town, that flame isn't just a harbinger of weird smells and pollution. It isn't an anachronism, and it doesn't prove a lack of innovation. ... The flame is very much a part of our history and our identity. It's a steady reminder that some things can stand the test of time, even in a world where nothing is built to last."

A large part of Goldbach's failure to thrive is caused by her mental health struggles. It affects her ability to hold down a full time job, maintain her relationships, and makes her dread the future. Yes, she might be doing well now, she tells herself, but in another couple of weeks that might not be true any longer.

"Doctors would tell me that mixed-state bipolar disorder is one of the most dangerous forms of the disease. Depression brings suicidal thoughts, and mania adds impulsivity. When people with mixed-state bipolar disorder have the will for death, they are more likely to have the energy to follow through."

Raised in a conservative and religious household, Goldbach is trained from an early age to see feminism as a dirty word. Through her own life experience, she discovers that some of her assumptions about feminism are untrue and begins to speak up for those who are unable or unwilling to speak for themselves.

"While there were other women who worked in the mill, we were definitely a minority. ... There was a good deal of mansplaining, and there were offhanded comments that came straight out of the 1950s."

Goldbach's memoir shines in its examination and dissection of her personal beliefs and how those change through experience. It feeds into my own belief that only the person living a life has the true insight into its meaning and direction.

"I'm just disappointed in myself, I guess. I feel like I should have done more by now, and I'm worried that I'll get stuck in the mill."

Some readers may find Goldbach's politics off-putting. But I think the difficult conversations she describes at the dinner table with her parents are going on at other dinner tables all across the country. An open dialogue and willingness to look at our differences can be painful, but that doesn't mean we should never have those conversations.

Recommended for readers who enjoy memoirs and as a possible book club pick. Trigger warnings for mental health issues, especially those with bipolar disorder, and rape.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book. The brief quotations cited in this review may change or be omitted in the final print version.

An absolutely stunning debut and very timely as it thrusts us directly in the middle of the decline of the traditional blue collar trades that built the middle class.

Having lived in the suburbs of Cleveland for most of my life, I found this book absolutely fascinating. Getting insight into the daily grind of life in the steel mill was really eye-opening. Eliese writes with unflinching honestly about her years working in the steel mill and the toll it took on her mental health. This will be a fabulous book discussion selection. Highly recommend.

Thank You to NetGalley and FlatIron Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of Rust. In exchange, I offer my unbiased review.

Overall this was an interesting memoir, well written with a good dose of humor to offset some of the heavier content. Eliese Goldbach, a promising student finds herself adrift after completing her schooling. At 26 she’s just getting by painting houses, when her friend suggests she apply for a job at the steel mill; a place that has loomed large over her entire childhood. Soon the mill and all it’s many workers start to fill a void in her life. Its a story about grit and determination and a close look at the pulse of America during the lead up to the 2016 US elections.

The inner workings of the mill were a bit technical & at times tedious to get through it but overall I was still fascinated by the mechanics. For those who enjoyed Educated, Hillbilly Elegy and other stories of Appalachia, I think this book will offer another opportunity to understand the region.

There's a lot to say about Rust - this story hooked me right from the beginning. Goldbach is from Cleveland, a resilient city with an industrial past (and present, and future).

I connected with a lot in the beginning of this book. Goldbach and I are both graduates of Catholic all-girls high schools. We're both from cities in northern Ohio (her from the northeast, me from the northwest). Our cities both have strong foundations in industry - hers in steel, mine in glass and cars. Goldbach and I are roughly the same age (I believe she's a few months older than me).

I've never worked in a factory. I've never had to and, honestly, have never considered it an option. Reading Goldbach's account as a woman in her late twenties (at the time) navigating life as an employee in a steel mill was fascinating. I think many of us can agree that when we picture a "factory worker" or a "steelworker" we do not picture a young, college-educated woman. Goldbach's account dismantled my idea of what a typical factory worker is like (which makes me sound like an idiot, but i'm not afraid to admit I was biased and I was WRONG).

I felt that this book lost its way a bit at times - it meanders from topic to topic, timeline to timeline, with few line or section breaks (but this could be something that is remedied in the finished copy). However, it's difficult to place a "review" lens on someone's life experience. There are moments where I forgot I was reading nonfiction (Goldbach is a great writer! And this memoir felt more like a novel sometimes).

This memoir isn't just about a young woman finding her way in the steel industry. It also focuses heavily on her struggle with mental illness, and is supplemented by observations and events surrounding the 2016 presidential election.

Content warnings: mental illness, rape, discussion of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

Thank you net galley for this book.

So I applied for this book totally by accident when browsing. After being approved I was a little nervous because this is wayyyyy out of my comfort zone. Let me say I am so glad I did though. This memoir was so powerful to read. We have the author who is educated and has a degree that finds themselves in need of a job. The pay rate at the steel mill was great and she went for it. This is a look not only at a life lived, and a life loved but into a very gritty and tiresome job. I loved hearing the stories the author shared about both aspects. I would highly recommend this!