The Great Miscalculation

Propulsive... a thrilling saga of a disaster averted by dedicated professionals. * Publishers Weekly * A compelling tale of professional and business responsibility amid the uncertainties of technological innovation. * Kirkus Reviews * Greenburg captures the high-stakes drama of a near disaster narrowly avoided in the busiest metropolitan city in the United States. * Library Journal * Brings the full, gripping story of the Citicorp Center to life with a compelling blend of technical insight and drama. Greenburg's writing powerfully conveys the courage and humility required to right a wrong. -- Grady Hillhouse, author of Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment This masterly account reveals the full scope of a sequence of events that could have ended in catastrophe. It’s a work of scholarship that gives the story its ultimate form, a soaring drama built on a foundation of scrupulously reported facts, and that solves an intriguing mystery in the process. -- Joe Morgenstern, former film critic for the Wall Street Journal This riveting whodunit set in the chaos of 1970s Manhattan is also an astonishing meditation on the ethical obligations of those who build our cities….The narrative deftly navigates the crisis, secretive repairs, and subsequent litigation, heroic efforts that were largely concealed from the public. When the story does emerge, fifteen years later, we struggle along with LeMessurier as he decides whether to do the right thing or protect his career and reputation. It’s a compelling story, masterfully told. -- Judith Dupré, New York Times bestselling author of Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings