Growing up on a farm in Wyoming taught Susan Miller perseverance. Her parents, hard-working and inspiring, taught her that life is full of obstacles-and one has to choose how she will overcome them. History of a Pipe Dream is the story of her struggle to overcome the prejudice that existed (and to a certain degree, continues to exist) regarding women in the field of industrial construction. She started out as a common laborer and worked her way up to journeyman, and along the way, she got to know people from all walks of life. Some amused her, some inspired her, but most just stood in her way. And then there was Jack, one of the most helpful men she ever met-who was also, at the same time, the most destructive force she'd ever know in her life. Through it all, she fought hard to stay focused on her goal: to be accepted as an equal. She chose to pursue a career that challenged her as fiercely as it challenged the perceptions and prejudices of others. The art of survival she learned so well as a child and young woman would soon be the key to her success. Hers is a journey into a world that few women have known, but all women can relate to.

スーザン・ミラーの本作は、単なる成功譚ではありません。ワイオミングの過酷な大地で育まれた不屈の精神が、男性社会の象徴である建設業界という荒野でいかに磨かれたかを描く、魂の記録です。偏見という見えない壁に抗いながら自らの居場所を築き上げていく筆致は、労働の重みを超えた、圧倒的な生の鼓動を伝えてくれます。 物語の深淵は、彼女に救いと破滅を同時にもたらすジャックという人物の多面的な造形にあります。他者の悪意だけでなく、複雑な愛憎すらも糧にして対等という地平を目指す彼女の旅路は、時代や職業を超えた普遍的なサバイバルの美学を提示しています。夢を単なる幻想で終わらせない、血の通った強さが凝縮された魂を揺さぶる傑作です。