Below is an essay i first published for the ochberg society, a nowdefunct grassroots group of journalists who cover trauma, upon the publication of factory man in 2014. Factory man how one furniture maker battled offshoring stayed. Oct 06, 2014 hes now the focus of beth macy s new york times bestselling book, factory man. Oct 19, 2016 beth macy s first book, factory man, was a new york times bestseller. Dealers, doctors, and the drug company that addicted america 2018 growing out of three decades of reporting from the same virginia communities, as her prior books did, dopesick unpacks the most intractable. Over the course of researching this book, over the course of hearing his many lectures. Its also so wellwritten, beth macy is a great storyteller. Dopesick masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference from a journalist who has lived through it new york timesbeth macy s definitive account of americas opioid epidemic, from the boardroom to the courtroom and into the living rooms of americans struggling to save themselves and their families now more than ever. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town this book is the story of the. Anthony lukas wordinprogress award for factory man. As she shows how he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer grit, cunning, and will to save hundreds of jobs, she also discovers the hidden and. The rise and fall of the industry is told in the new book factory man by beth macy, who began it while a. Factory man explores human side of how globalization affects u. In factory man, beth macy brings to life bassetts deeply personal furniture and family story.
The tale of how virginia furniture manufacturing came and went in factory man, along with macys folksy writing style, never quite grabbed me. Truevine share book recommendations with your friends, join. It is impossible to read beth macys factory man without casting the. Beth macy, dopesick central arkansas library system. Beth macy is an american journalist and nonfiction writer. Beth macy author biography beth macy is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling books truevine and factory man. Tom hanks to produce factory man miniseries at hbo. Free tickets are available to the oxford americans 20192020 south words readers series with beth macy, author of dopesick, factory man, and truevine, on tuesday, may 19, at cals ron robinson theater in little rocks river market. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town by beth macy. Beth macys latest, truevine, tells a powerful story of. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town, published by little, brown and company.
The new book factory man by beth macy, chronicles the story of. Over the course of researching this book, over the. Jul 15, 2014 to say that beth macy s new book, factory man, is about the impact of globalization on rural communities in the american south might be a little like saying the television series mad men is. Factory man how one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town by beth macy little, brown. Factory man by beth macy is the story of the famous bassett family of bassett furniture fame and fortune.
In this clip, macy discusses his success and what all of us can do to help american manufacturing workers. New york times book critic janet maslin put macy s book in a class. Macys dopesick shifts the blame from the addict to the. Beth macy is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling books truevine and factory man. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped. Macys years as a reporter in this region led her to write factory man. In beth macys factory man, the head of a southern furniture company pushes back against chinese competition and unfavorable trade policies. Jan 16, 2019 beth macys book, dopesick, takes the reader to the origins of the current opioid epidemic and traces its destructive path up the shenandoah valley. In factory man, beth macy brings to life bassett s deeply personal furniture and family story. Read smart book discussion factory man by beth macy nc. To say that beth macys new book, factory man, is about the impact of globalization on rural communities in the american south might. Macy appeared on nprs fresh air recently to promote the book. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town macy, beth on. Macys dopesick shifts the blame from the addict to the drug company.
A huge number of americans, many of them poor rural whites, have died in the last couple of decades of what one princeton researcher has called diseases of despair, including alcoholism, suicide, and drug overdoses caused by the hopeless sense that theres a. Beth macy is the author of the critically acclaimed and new york timesbestselling books, factory man and truevine. Honakers story is just one of many in author beth macys new book dopesick. As she shows how he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer grit and cunning to save hundreds of jobs, she also reveals the truth about modern. Beth macys book recounts john bassetts struggle to save his furniture business. Even beth macy, author of factory man little, brown, 464 pp. Macys prose paints a vivid portrait of the almostfeudal world of a southern company town, from the shacks by the river to the mansions on the hill, with the factory roaring at the center. Beth macys factory man today is the publishing date for beth macy.
Factory man explores human side of how globalization. How a factory man fought to save his furniture company virginia furniture owner john bassett iii was determined to beat out foreign competitors. I ve read beth macys reporting for years and i loved seeing all of her skills come. A close friend of macys who worked in the furniture industry told her that there was one man down in galax who was still building furniture in his own factory and who was dedicated to saving. Steven walker, assistant director of nc states furniture manufacturing and management center, will lead a discussion of factory man. In factory man, beth macy brings to life bassett s deeply personal furniture and family story, along with a host of characters from an industry that was as cutthroat as it was colorful. In factory man, beth macy brings to life bassetts deeply personal furniture and family story, along with a host of characters from an industry that was as cutthroat as it was colorful. Her latest, truevine, was released tuesday, and its already receiving national attention. Factory man the first line of factory man is once in a reporters life career, if one is very lucky, a person like john d. The new york times says, macys passion and enthusiasm are palpable on every page. Beth macy is a journalist who writes about outsiders and underdogs. Dealers, doctors, and the drug company that addicted america. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
From the new york times bestselling author of factory man and truevine, a work of deep reporting. Her first published book, factory man, was a national bestseller. How a factory man fought to save his furniture company. Aug 02, 2018 the title is a haunting refrain through the beth macys new book. I would have preferred it as a feature piece in fortune magazine, as opposed to a 400page book. Macy says the instructor, vickie hesterman, told the class that any student who got published would receive an. By boosting his plants efficiency and battling unfair trade practices, he saved the factory and turned it into the uss top bedroom furniture maker. The book tracks john bassetts fight to keep american jobs on this side of borders and oceans, and keeps one american town from becoming a place of empty storefronts and. Based in roanoke, virginia for three decades, her reporting has won more than a dozen national awards, including a nieman fellowship for journalism at harvard. Macys purview centers on the i81 corridor that runs along the appalachians from eastern tennessee north, where opioid abuse first rose to epidemic levels. She received a bachelors degree in journalism from bowling green state. Resident book friend and senior editor at liz plank and founder of the better banking project susan ochs take an indepth look at the patriotic story of beth macys factory man.
The new book factory man by beth macy, chronicles the. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town, published by. Beth macys first book, factory man, was an important story of the failure and survival of the american furniture industry. Hes now the focus of beth macys new york times bestselling book, factory man. Factory man is a valuable american story, and one of the best books ive read this. I thought i had an honest sense of how grossly we romanticize notions of the south but this book opened my eyes even more. Author beth macy documents him, and the collapse of. Chilling, because in her first bestselling book, factory man, macy details the. Beth macys factory man, about the decline of the american furniture industry and the efforts of one man to bring it back, enters the hardcover nonfiction list at no. Beth macys new book factory man tells the story of a furniture maker in virginia who took on the asian factories that produced inexpensive. The new book factory man by beth macy, chronicles the story.
Dopesick masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference from a journalist who has lived through it new york timesbeth macys definitive account of americas opioid epidemic, from the boardroom to the courtroom and into the living rooms of americans struggling to save themselves and their. Journalist beth macy documents the collapse of the american furniture industry and its human cost in her new book, factory man. It is impossible to read beth macys factory man without casting the inevitable movie version to come. As she shows how he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer grit, cunning, and will to save hundreds of jobs, she also discovers the hidden and shocking truth about industry and america. Beth macy s choice to write this book in the first person and include her own admissions and assumptions on race was a brave one, and is an example of the kind of. Factory man how one furniture maker battled offshoring.
Picture an updated norma rae in which the hero isnt an oppressed factory. The oxford american is excited to announce a special addition to its 20192020 south words readers series with beth macy, author of dopesick, factory man, and truevine. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town paperback june 9, 2015. Her writing has won more than a dozen national journalism awards, including a nieman fellowship for journalism at harvard and the 20 j. Beth macy, dopesick the oxford american is excited to announce a special addition to its 20192020 south words readers series with beth macy, author of dopesick, factory man, and truevine. And if that reporter is beth macy, who never stops digging for the facts and is a great storyteller to boot, youve got a book you wont be able to put down. Aug 31, 2014 beth macys book recounts john bassetts struggle to save his furniture business. Based in roanoke, virginia for three decades, her reporting. Macy says the instructor, vickie hesterman, told the class that any student who got published would receive an automatic a in the class. Janet maslin, new york times in a world of bluecollar victims, where logging chains seal forever the doors of mills and factories from the rust belt to the deep south, beth macy s awardwinning look at one furniture makers refusal to give in is a breath of hopeand a damn fine story to read. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town.
The opioid crisiss origins explored in beth macys dopesick. The title is a haunting refrain through the beth macys new book. Factory man by beth macy little, brown and company. Dopesick roanoke author on the dealers, doctors and drug. With its success came the need for more and more factories and more and more employees. Factory man wonderfully recounts the davidandgoliath. The first half of the book is given over to bassett history in great detail. Beth macy is an incredibly dogged, scrappy reporter. Oct 17, 2016 they were albino africanamericans born into the jim crow south, in a town called truevine outside of roanoke, va. Factory man tells the story of one mans fight to save a. Her first book, factory man, set in bassett, focused on the failed furniture industry.
Beth macys blog parachute journalism and rural americas revenge authors note. Jul 15, 2014 beth macy s new book factory man tells the story of a furniture maker in virginia who took on the asian factories that produced inexpensive knockoffs of american furniture. Its not easy to a furniture designand somebody will always come along and make it for. From the points of view of addicts, families, law enforcement, healthcare workers, and even dealers, she paints a devastating portrait of the epidemics impact on small towns, suburbs, and cities alike. The project, produced by tom hanks and gary goetzmans playtone, is based on beth macys nonfiction book factory man.
In factory man, a struggle to stay competitive the new. Tom hanks tweets love for beth macys factory man archive. Beth macys awardwinning look at one furniture makers refusal to give in is a breath of hopeand a damn fine story to read. Beth macys book, dopesick, takes the reader to the origins of the current opioid epidemic and traces its destructive path up the shenandoah valley. Factory man is beth macys boisterous account of a u.
Beth macy has done a masterful job in personalizing the biggest american. Oct 26, 2016 beth macys first book, factory man, was an important story of the failure and survival of the american furniture industry. Access a free summary of factory man, by beth macy and 20,000 other business, leadership and nonfiction books on getabstract. I kept thinking about our worthless antique as i read beth macys factory man, a wellcrafted and epic tale tracing the rise of a virginia furniture. In factory man, beth macy brings to life bassetts deeply personal furniture and family. These nonfiction narratives are more stirring and dramatic than most novels. Bassett iii, who got run off from bassett furniture in a family feud and instead of leaving the industry,started the smaller vaughanbassett in nearby galax, virginia where he now employs 700. How one furniture maker battled offshoring, stayed local and helped save an american town, in which she discusses about the bassett furniture. Ive read beth macys reporting for years and i loved seeing all of her skills come.
Aug 17, 2014 it is impossible to read beth macys factory man without casting the inevitable movie version to come. Beth macys first book, factory man, was a new york times bestseller. One of the first assignments in beth macys introduction to magazine writing class at bgsu was to write a personal essay and then pitch the story to magazines. Factory man tells the story of one mans fight to save a dying industry and the small southern. Based in roanoke, virginia for three decades, her reporting has won more than a dozen national awards, including a nieman fellowship for journalism at. Beth macys new book factory man tells the story of a furniture maker in virginia who took on the asian factories that produced inexpensive knockoffs of american furniture. Aug 07, 2018 harrowing travels through the land of the hypermedicated, courtesy of hopelessness, poverty, and large pharmaceutical companies. The company began its operation in rural virginia and quickly emerged as a leader in the us furnituremanufacturing industry. Journalist beth macys page about her books, beginning with factory man, in. The tale of how virginia furniture manufacturing came and went in factory man, along with macy s folksy writing style, never quite grabbed me. One of janet maslins top 10 books of 2014 in the new york times. Aug 14, 2018 honakers story is just one of many in author beth macys new book dopesick. Macys first book, but its in a class with other runaway debuts like laura hillenbrands seabiscuit and katherine boos behind the beautiful forevers.
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