What do you think?
Rate this book
No Star Nights
Illus. in full color by Steve Johnson. "The story of a young girl growing up within the shadows of a great steel mill is eloquently depicted in this insightful, autobiographical picture book. Studded with vibrant imagery, the story subtly emphasizes the loving, caring, respectful relationships within a steelworker's family. Cleanly executed pages, evocative illustrations, and manageable vocabulary make this a unique purchase for a broad age range."— School Library Journal
64 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 1989
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 17, 2022
No Star Nights is a story of Pittsburgh, PA, known as a steel town . At night, the skies were alight with the bright lights from the flames of the bars of steel as it came off the production line. In addition, the smells and the dust pervaded. And then, smoke clouded the skies, and the dust settled throughout the town.
This story is told from the perspective of a child whose father worked various shifts in the Pittsburgh Steel Mill. She notes, the sights of the men who worked with her father, as they came out of the mill, lunch boxes and thermos bottles in hands. Driving at night, as the family came home from an outing, the black silhouettes were encased in black clouds of smoke.
These mills created many well-paid jobs for both college educated who worked in the offices, and the working folk who directly produced the end product. In the small town of Pittsburgh, there were Fourth of July parades with clowns, balloons, cheers and the mayor of the city riding in a large car throwing candy to those on the sidewalks in the parade route; there was an aura of down home closeness.
Life was good, but living with the dust, chemicals and, as as the author notes, there were nights when it seemed like a giant lid covered the valley. On those nights, no stars were visible, only the smoke and glow from the blast furnaces.
As a personal note, I lived and worked in Bethlehem, PA . While I worked in a local university, many people I knew had family members who worked in the steel factory. The steel factories produced a lot of high paying jobs, for both the executives who worked in the offices, and the blue color workers who produced the steel. The benefits were great, and the pay was high in relation to other area jobs. Now, like the Pittsburg mills, Bethlehem Steel is no longer functioning.
And similar to the skies of Pittsburgh, Bethlehem also had "no star nights." Both towns are different today. As the author notes in her description of Pittsburgh, today the skies are clear. The stars are visible. Most of the workers have left to find other jobs in other places.
Again, as a personal note, part of where Bethlehem Steel existed, is now a Casino. Many thought Pittsburgh and Bethlehem could never function without the mills. As the author notes, when grandchildren return to Pittsburgh, they talk about their stories of the long nights when the skies were clouded.
This is a story of years gone by in the industrial age of America.
This is another example of a children's illustrated book that teaches history of a time gone by, never to return.
This story is told from the perspective of a child whose father worked various shifts in the Pittsburgh Steel Mill. She notes, the sights of the men who worked with her father, as they came out of the mill, lunch boxes and thermos bottles in hands. Driving at night, as the family came home from an outing, the black silhouettes were encased in black clouds of smoke.
These mills created many well-paid jobs for both college educated who worked in the offices, and the working folk who directly produced the end product. In the small town of Pittsburgh, there were Fourth of July parades with clowns, balloons, cheers and the mayor of the city riding in a large car throwing candy to those on the sidewalks in the parade route; there was an aura of down home closeness.
Life was good, but living with the dust, chemicals and, as as the author notes, there were nights when it seemed like a giant lid covered the valley. On those nights, no stars were visible, only the smoke and glow from the blast furnaces.
As a personal note, I lived and worked in Bethlehem, PA . While I worked in a local university, many people I knew had family members who worked in the steel factory. The steel factories produced a lot of high paying jobs, for both the executives who worked in the offices, and the blue color workers who produced the steel. The benefits were great, and the pay was high in relation to other area jobs. Now, like the Pittsburg mills, Bethlehem Steel is no longer functioning.
And similar to the skies of Pittsburgh, Bethlehem also had "no star nights." Both towns are different today. As the author notes in her description of Pittsburgh, today the skies are clear. The stars are visible. Most of the workers have left to find other jobs in other places.
Again, as a personal note, part of where Bethlehem Steel existed, is now a Casino. Many thought Pittsburgh and Bethlehem could never function without the mills. As the author notes, when grandchildren return to Pittsburgh, they talk about their stories of the long nights when the skies were clouded.
This is a story of years gone by in the industrial age of America.
This is another example of a children's illustrated book that teaches history of a time gone by, never to return.
February 22, 2024
This is a young adult book about growing up in the 1940-50s in Weirton, West Virginia. A steel mill is the main economy of the area. Steve Johnson illustrated the volume with nice colored pictures. An unnamed girl is the narrator. It was the Winner of the 1990 Children's Book Award for Younger Readers. It displays the unity of a small town. And the series of reminiscences are loosely joined. The girl attends a Catholic school. The air pollution is very bad, and bits of graphite from the mill fly around in the air. One day a bit lodges in the girl's eye. In pain, she goes to a doctor, and he removes the graphite. She and a friend climb a slag heap, and two of their sisters follow them. When they make it to the top, there's a road and a big dump truck is ready unload on the heap. The girl and her friend wave and yell at the trucker, who finally hears them and stops. The sister, still climbing up the hill, are saved. If you're into YA literature, this is for you.
July 5, 2025
No Star Nights aptly describes what a child sees and experiences growing up in a steel mill town, Weirton, West Virginia. It’s a great introduction for children to shift work, the surreal scene of intense air pollution, the steel making process, and family life in a steel country. The muted illustrations reveal a city landscape where the air is never clean and there are no stars at night, only a belching monster.
December 3, 2018
A sweet, nostalgic look at life growing up in a steel town. I loved the way the positives and negatives were balanced and rounded with the childhood perspective, and the illustrations really fit the theme well. Beautifully done!
May 25, 2020
Deep, rich illustrations (a bit small for screen reading) convey the overcast, gray nature of the steel plants surroundings. Enough text takes us to that far away place and helps us understand what it was like to live your life dictated by the factory.
Read
December 14, 2010This book is about a town whose survival is reliant on a coal mine. The story is told through the perspective of a young girl who loves to lay on the hill and stare at the orange glow the mine puts off. The story is a compilation of all her memories of the coal mine. I use this book to teach memoir writing.
December 30, 2013
A nice little book. Particularly for anyone who grew up in a steel town. Especially local to the author here. But, it would be a nice book to get for children of people who grew up around steel...when the mills were closed for the kids. A nice way to show them a slice of life before the mills closed down. The art is wonderful.
June 4, 2013
I liked the story behind this book, though the language wasn't my favorite. It's a nice story of a family who works in the mines of Pittsburgh, but it could have been better.
November 6, 2024
I know a lot about these places because I went to school in Bethany, WV with a professor who shares the cover of this book with the author.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews