(Young Adult version) Construction Tales: A Young Person's Guide to Accomplish Anything in Life

Hello everyone! I neglect to let people know that I have a young adult version of my book. It has the same cover. It is named a little differently. It is entitled, Construction Tales: A Young Person's Guide to Accomplish Anything in Life. The stories are the same. However, I felt uncomfortable having young people read my book. I edited bar and drinking references in the book. I tamed down some of the crazy antics by my coworkers. Despite editing the book, I think it delivers a positive message to young people. I entered a field of work at a young age not really knowing that I would encounter such pushback from some male coworkers. I didn't deal with that type of negativity in the military as a constructionman electrician in the U.S. Navy Seabees. Despite a few people who didn't think I belong, I continued to learn the trade from some good men willing to teach me. The book should give young people following in my footsteps a guide on how to survive the construction business. I know my book can encourage other women and minorities to step into a trade apprenticeship and learn to work with the tools. My job experiences have made me catch a small sliver of understanding of what minorities endure by people who discount them daily. In the beginning, I had to work unbelievably hard to earn an ounce of respect in the trade. Over almost 20 years, I finally have earned a great reputation. I can only understand a small portion of what it must be to be a minority. It is not easy being discounted based on your physical appearance and not by what you have or have not done. It used to burn me that people I worked with thought I was useless the moment I stepped onto the job. It wasn't until I showcased my strength, eagerness to learn, and smarts that I was given a chance for respect. I was willing to carry twice the amount of material and work as fast as possible just so I could earn the right to be on the job. Trying to earn my worth at work has taken its toll on my body. As a newly approaching 40 year old, I have more aches and pain than usual for my age. Despite the body aches, I am satisfied with my accomplishments in the trade. In retrospect, I would have used the same methods to work and earn respect. I may have used knee pads and other means to help protect my body. Should have wore ear plugs and masks to protect my hearing and lungs. I felt it was a weakness to have to use any of those supplies. My book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I am trying to get it ready for iTunes and the audio version soon. It is time to rest and gear up for my work week. Enjoy your week and make it a safe one! Cheers! Leslie M Jasper