susan neville

We are a nation of consumers. But where does what we buy come from? And how are these things made? And what do they mean? In the meditation on manufacturing, Susan Neville journeys to factories and plants, looking for the sources of things. And on these journeys, Neville visits casket makers, wood carvers, glass poppers, and cartographers. The spinning lathes and screaming saws of industry. Learns how, and by whom, and why things are made, whether they be dolls or insulin, gyroscopes or glass. And by focusing on process and production--and on language itself--Nevill gives us new, uncommon perspectives from which to view how we live and how changing economies change whole worlds.

An Utne Reader selection and a finalist for the Great Lakes Booksellers Midwest book of the year.

Factories featured include: The Hummer Factory, Kokomo Opalescent Glass, Cummins Engines, Eli Lilly, Turner Dolls,Batesville Casket Co., Perfect Circle,Cram Globes and others.