What is the importance of the town, Accrington, as noted in the memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

Accrington is the working-class town where Jeannette grows up. It provides such an important backdrop for her childhood that she dedicates and titles an entire chapter after this place. Accrington is "not famous for much" but it did once have some prominence for making the world's hardest bricks (89). These bricks are so strong and in demand because of the iron ore in the Accrington clay. Thousands of these bricks were sent to New York City to build the foundation of the Empire State Building and are also used by famous Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius. As such, the working-class and industrial nature of Accrington gains minor prominence on the world stage. This is symbolic of how industrial communities often support more glamorous endeavours abroad and rarely receive their share of credit or notoriety.