Following weeks of fruitless 1970s job-hunting, new college graduate Mike Nolan was broke and miserable, sleeping on his sister's couch. As a last resort, he signed on as a shipyard laborer, and discovered that the most worthwhile education often happens outside of a classroom. Indeed, when he toppled from the crow's nest of the USS Roark while trying to impress the foreman, only his rote safety training kept him alive.

Desperate to keep his job after joining a primarily African American Ship Scalers Union No. 541, Mike lied about being a sandblaster. In reality, he knew nothing about the trade and deserved to be fired. Instead, his kind-hearted Black coworkers took the white kid under their wing, and the former honor student from a small, not-so-diverse college became "Brother Nols," the only white sandblaster on the crew. His mentors included Eddie, on work release from prison, who sympathized with Mike's situation and showed him the tricks of the trade, and U.S. Olympic rowing coxswain hopeful, Chris, who became his best friend.

Taking pride in his blue-collar life and developing immense respect for his fellow ship scalers, Mike's entertaining accounts shine a light on the gritty, dangerous, yet still often humorous--world of heavy construction. Along the way, he offers insightful reflections on his growing self-awareness and empathy, ties between work and identity, and finally, his evolving perceptions surrounding race and privilege.