Rust: The Longest War

Are you one of those whose hearts the word "infrastructure" sets a-fluttering? Who find the anonymous, unglamorous work that keeps our world running at least as compelling as more traditional derring-do? If so, join me in appreciating Rust, which celebrates one of the least glamorous, most necessary struggles of them all, the unending battle against corrosion. Waldman profiles rust warriors—many of them mustachioed, it turns out—from the passionate inventor of stainless steel to the vigilant engineers who robotically spelunk the seven billion square inches of the Alaska pipeline, searching for dangerous decay. He wanders off into the weeds a few times himself, but his wit is always present, as is his appreciation for the modest persistence that keeps our civilization from crumbling from within.