By Pam Oglivy
Teaching Cleveland Program Coordinator
Beachwood High School Teacher
Rust by Eliese Goldbach is a captivating memoir that shows the juxtaposition of a young Cleveland woman navigating life in her early to mid-twenties with that of the progression of the city itself throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Goldbach, like so many Cleveland natives, is from a hardworking, blue collar family. In the wake of personal tragedies, she takes a position at a steel mill that almost perfectly reflects the city itself–dark, gritty, and full of people who seek a better life for themselves and their families.
Goldbach seamlessly intertwines her life struggles with those of the individuals she encounters in the mill, and the wisdom and life lessons she learns from these individuals provide her with her own set of tools with which to face the world.
Perhaps what is most impressive about Goldbach’s writing is how she tackles the changing political perspective of so many blue collar Americans, from die-hard, devout, labor union Democrats to a right-leaning, extreme faction of Trump supporters. She breaks the shift down into the fundamental situation in which so many Americans find themselves: they work hard, they don’t feel they are getting where they should be (financially and professionally), and they don’t feel heard. Many have found a voice within the modern day Republican Party, and perhaps even moreso, in the messaging of Donald Trump.
Rust provides insight into the growth of a twentysomething woman, the progression (and at times) downfall of a Rust Belt city, and an explanation into the growing narrative of many Americans searching for representatives that “get” them. Ultimately, Goldbach is in search of the faith she lost and hopes to regain, in many ways so much like the city we all know and love.
