Where Is the Brooklyn Bridge?

Where Is the Brooklyn Bridge?

NONFICTION HISTORY & ENGINEERING • PENGUIN "WHERE IS...?" SERIES

Part of Penguin’s acclaimed Where Is...? series, Where Is the Brooklyn Bridge? by Megan Stine invites young readers to span the turbulent waters of the East River and discover the high-stakes, iron-and-stone drama behind one of America’s most beloved National Historic Landmarks.

Erecting the Brooklyn Bridge was a monumental engineering triumph, yet the 14-year construction process was fraught with danger, sacrifice, and human cost. Conceived by a brilliant father-and-son team of engineers, the project required sinking massive wooden caissons deep into the riverbed, where workers suffered from a mysterious, agonizing affliction known as "the bends" (decompression sickness). Despite tragic losses and devastating physical tolls on the builders themselves, the bridge was completed in 1883 as the longest suspension bridge in the world—standing today as a towering icon of American ingenuity and perseverance.

"Still, after fourteen years, the Brooklyn Bridge was finished and became the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time and is still widely admired today."

Core Historical & Engineering Highlights:

• Pioneering Civil Engineering: Explores the visionary design and subterranean caisson work spearheaded by John and Washington Roebling.

• Human Resilience & Sacrifice: Chronicles the physical perils faced by laborers, including decompression sickness, and the inspiring leadership of Emily Warren Roebling.

• An Urban Icon: Traces how the soaring neo-Gothic towers and steel-wire cables forever linked Brooklyn and Manhattan, transforming New York City's skyline.

Key Book Features at a Glance:

Perfect For:

• Young Historians & Future Engineers (Ages 8–12): Independent readers fascinated by bridges, skyscrapers, and New York City history.

• Classroom & Library Collections: A dynamic addition to U.S. history, Industrial Revolution, and civil engineering units.

• Fans of the Where Is / Who Was Series: Readers expanding their collection of adventures exploring world-changing landmarks.