Tower Dog

Life Inside the Deadliest Job in America

A provocative look inside the most dangerous job in America by a powerful new literary voice

What is the price of staying connected, of that phone in your hand or that watch on your wrist? Recent TV shows would have you believe that the most dangerous job in America is a crab fisherman, or maybe even an ice road trucker. But what U.S. Department of Labor unequivocally recognizes as truly the most dangerous job in America is a tower dog, the men who work on cell towers all across the country building the networks that keep us all connected.

In Tower Dog: Life Inside the Deadliest Job in America, Doug Delaney, a tower dog for over fifteen years, draws readers into this dark and high stakes world that most don't even know exists, yet rely on every minute of every day. This risk-laden profession has been recently covered by NBC Dateline, Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, but none of these reports have provided an in-depth look at the rough and tumble sub-culture of workers throughout America who are risking their lives—and dying at such a high rate. These men have always been living on the edge of polite society; a fascinating mix of construction crews and thrill-seekers. Delaney is a brash and illuminating guide, and Tower Dog gives us the real experience of what its like for the workers balanced precariously above the clouds.