Resume
PDF of CV available upon request.
Most Recent Work and Upcoming Projects
I’m currently working on my first book, which is an update and expansion of my dissertation, Tomorrow Never Came: Race, Class, Reform, Conflict, and the Decline of an Industrial City, Toledo, Ohio, 1930-1980. The book, Tomorrow Never Came: The Making of a Postindustrial City, takes those ideas and brig them closer to the present day, examining the various processes that contributed to both the rise and fall of Toledo’s industrial economy and working classes.
On the edge of the Depression, Toledo stood ready to climb into the ranks of America’s great industrial cities. Subjected to the great single collection of bank failures of any large American city, Toledo rebounded in a big way. Socially, politically, economically, and culturally, Toledo exploded, becoming one of the most prominent industrial cities in the Midwest and the country. However, as quickly as Toledo boomed, it busted. “Tomorrow Never Came” examines this process, looking at working-class communities and institutions, exploring the relationship between the city’s rank-and-file and its working-class leadership, its civic institutions and private enterprise.
Framed against the optimism of the ‘Toledo Tomorrow’ exhibit of 1945, my dissertation reveals the long arc of how Toledo’s present came to be, the formations of our postindustrialized society, and places Toledo’s story into the broader context of American deindustrialization.
It’s the great common denominator of all academics that we are always thinking about future projects. Ask any of us; we’ll tell you what we’re working on now, usually with a muted enthusiasm. Ask what we are working on next? You’re about to get a long and very passionate speech about a very lofty idea. We love our upcoming projects.
It was like that for me, too. During my dissertation I was constantly thinking about my next project. I had several historical projects in mind. Right now though, I am currently working on a collection of essays/memoir called Professional Student: My Decade+ Inside Academia. Currently, the manuscript sits at 200 pages (to be honest I should be working on that instead of this but here we are). Stay tuned for more information on that.
In addition to my dissertation, my historical work has been featured in both popular and academic publications: the Labor and Working Class History Association (LAWCHA), Jacobin Magazine, The Journal of Northwest Ohio History (Vol 85. No. I, Fall/Winter 2017-2018), A Day in the Life of an American Worker: 200 Trades and Professions Through History, available online by ABC-CLIO, and most recently The Activist History Review (TAHR).
Student Testimonials
Q: What were Brad’s strong points?
Student 1: “Everything. [I] loved this class and Brad in general. I felt like my paper writing skills dramatically improved and I’m grateful for that.”
Student 2: “Brad was very engaged and energetic.”
Student 3: “Brad did a good job going over class materials and engaging us in conversation.”
Student 4: “He was always well-prepared. Sometimes out engagement with the readings was poor but he knew how to get us to focus on what was important.”
Student 5: “He is passionate about what he is teaching and tries to make jokes. Oh, and he responded to emails super quickly; [I] really, really appreciated and [was] thankful for that!”
Student 6: “The humor was very helpful Honestly, you were my favorite teacher this semester.”
Media, Interviews, and News Appearances
“The 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite Strike” – Unsung History (podcast)
On the history of the “Rust Belt” and the modern Midwest – You Don’t Know History (podcast)
On Grad Unionization and COVID response – National Association of Student Financial Aid Information
On COVID’s Impact on Graduation – Inside Higher Education
On the Importance of Mental Health Resources for Graduate Students during COVID – NerdWallet (re-printed in the Chicago Sun-Times)
On the Importance of Loan Accessibility and Higher Education Affordability – NerdWallet
Dr. Bradley J. Sommer, PhD 