Hi,
I am a 40-year retired union member and worked out of locals 8, 18 and 19. I have just completed a 6x9 inch, 240 page book entitled �Elevator Man Stories.� It is a compilation of both humorous and tragic events that took place during my 40 years in the business on both sides of the fence.
Tom Sybert � Elevator Radio Show Podcast � �I honestly couldn�t put the book down. I was sad when it ended and wished there was more. There were times in the book I couldn�t stop laughing and others that made me realize how dangerous working on elevators can be. There were parts in the book that made me feel like I was a mechanic working right next to Jim.�
Francis S. Studders � Projects & Technical Manager Lift Regeneration Team - Pickerings Lifts Europe Ltd - Owner & Admin ElevatorShack.com/forums - Prior to the publication of his book, I had read a few of Jim Collets' Elevator Man Stories on his blog, and though enjoyable, I had pre-conceptions of what I thought this book would contain. To be brutally honest I expected little more than random humorous stories that, whilst perhaps giving me the odd laugh, I thought I would tire of it quickly and that it would be unlikely that I would actually ever read the entire book. My initial conception was one of; �this guy is a retired industry character looking to boost his pension fund a little, so why not humour him & give the guy a break for the sake of $20.00?'
I have to say how very wrong I was. Although there are colourful stories that will bring a smile to your face, the author has also described the sadness and tragedies of losing close friends & colleagues (no, in most cases I believe Jim would perhaps have called them brothers). Then there are reflections of personal aspects of Jim's life where he has himself had to deal with his own pitfalls and demons, and of his struggle to overcome them.
In short we are given a humorous and yes, perhaps a colourful but also a sad & yet serious reflection of one man's history within our industry. A career that has interjected with the lives of so many other characters, which I believe anyone who has been a part of this industry for 20+ years, will be able to relate many characters described in this book, with people they know or have known in their own lives. From the good old, bad old days to the end of a construction era void of many of today's health and safety regulations, told from a man who has sat on all sides of the fence; someone who rose from the ranks of helper, to mechanic to field adjuster, to running projects himself as superintendent and then back in to the field, doing the job he loved best.
What is different here is that Jim Collett has managed to find that magical balance of articulating his life experiences in stories of just the right number of words, and in a manner that simply prevents you from putting his book down. I for one was completely hooked, and I stayed up well into the early hours reading about the exploits of so many people that I swore I knew who they were.
"Privileged" is perhaps the one word I can use to articulate how I feel after reading Elevator Man Stories.
This Book should be reviewed in the December Issue of Elevator World.
It is now available at:
ElevatorGear.Com
Amazon.com
Elevatorbooks.com (Elevator World Book Store)
Or directly from me please visit
http://www.elevatormanstories.com/The price is $20.00 (USD)
Thank you,
Jim Collett
