The Hands That Built This: Restoring Respect and Rebuilding the Future of the Trades

America is running out of people who know how to build what it needs.

The Hands That Built This is a compact, urgent memoir-manifesto by K.A. Pierce-14 years as a carpenter and ironworker and nearly two decades as a construction-safety professional-that argues trades must be first-choice careers, not Plan B.

Through vivid job site scenes, program case studies, and practical policy steps, Pierce demonstrates how apprenticeships, earn-while-you-learn models, mentorship for women, and safety-f...