Paul Hertneky is an American journalist and author best known for his 2016 book ''Rust Belt Boy: Stories of an American Childhood,'' about the

Baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. Th ...

he grew up with in the

rust belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions and ...

mill town of

Ambridge, Pennsylvania Ambridge is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Incorporated in 1905 as a company town by the American Bridge Company, Ambridge is located 16 miles (25 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River. The population was ...

, where he was once a steel worker. He is a member of the faculty of

Chatham University Chatham University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as a women's college, it began enrolling men in undergraduate programs in 2015. It enrolls about 2,110 students, including 1,002 undergraduate students an ...

Childhood and education

Hertneky was born in Pittsburgh and reared in Ambridge, Pennsylvania in a family of Czech/Slovak/Hungarian heritage. His father worked for the

American Bridge Company The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pitts ...

, the company from which Ambridge takes its name. Hertneky graduated from

Ambridge Area High School Ambridge High School is a midsized, suburban secondary school in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. By 2016, the school enrollment was reported as 749 pupils in grades 9th through 12th. Extracurriculars Ambridge Area High School offers a variety of clubs, a ...

in 1973, the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

and

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

. Hertneky and his wife, Robbie, settled in

Hancock, New Hampshire Hancock is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,731 at the 2020 census. Hancock is home to the Welch Family Farm Forest. The main village of the tow ...

, where they lived for almost 20 years.

Career

Hertneky worked for a

steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...

during college, then took a job at a trucking company, before moving to Massachusetts to become a journalist. Hertneky has worked as a freelance writer and editor.

''Rust Belt Boy''

Hertneky is the author of the 2016 ''Rust Belt Boy: Stories of an American Childhood.''Bill Conlogue. Review of Hertneky, Paul, _ _ and Kessler, Gabriella; Portron, Jean-Loïc, _Braddock America_. H-Pennsylvania, H-Net Reviews. February, 2017. URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=47987 The ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' describes the essays that comprise Rust Belt Boy as a series of 26 vignettes, that, taken as a whole, "form an homage to a lost way of life" through "incantatory writing." National Book Award finalist,

Sy Montgomery Sy Montgomery (born February 7, 1958) is a German born, American naturalist, author and scriptwriter who writes for children as well as adults. She is author of 34 books, including ''The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wo ...

calls it "An essential but overlooked portrait of America's blue collar heart" that "deserves to become a classic."

The Keene Sentinel ''The Keene Sentinel'' is an independently owned daily newspaper published in Keene, New Hampshire. It currently publishes six days a week. The ''Sentinel'' is the fifth oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States, having operate ...

called Rust Belt Boy "an unexpected journey of discovery, a journey of often bittersweet delights."

References

External links

Why 6 Million People Left the Rust Belt and 6 Million Stayed (audio)A "Rust Belt Boy" Reflects on His Changing Hometown (audio)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hertneky, Paul American male journalists Bennington College alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni Writers from Pittsburgh Year of birth missing (living people) People from Ambridge, Pennsylvania People from Hancock, New Hampshire Living people