Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century - Hardcover

by Kevin Mattson (Author)

Praise for UPTON SINCLAIR and the other American Century
""I look forward to all of Kevin Mattson's works of history and I've notbeen disappointed yet. Upton Sinclair is a thoughtful, well-researched, and extremely eloquently told excavation of the history of theAmerican left and, indeed, the American nation, as well as a testamentto the power of one man to influence his times. Well done.""
--Eric Alterman, author of When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences
""A splendid read. It reminds you that real heroes once dwelt among us. Mattson not only captures Sinclair's character, but the world he inhabited, with deft strokes whose energy and passion easily match his subject's.""
--Richard Parker, author of John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
""From the meat-packing houses of Chicago to the automobile factories of Detroit to the voting booths of California, Upton Sinclair cut a wide swath as a muckraking writer who exposed the injustices rendered by American industrial capitalism. Now Kevin Mattson presents a much-needed exploration of this complex crusader. This is a thoughtful, provocative, and gripping account of an important figure who appeared equal parts intellectual, propagandist, and political combatant as he struggled to illuminate the 'other American century' inhabited by the poor and powerless.""
--Steven Watts, author of The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century

Front Jacket

Upton Sinclair was the first celebrity to run for governor of California. He published an eponymous magazine and lectured Americans on war, wages, diet, education, the media, and anything else he could think of. He wrote books fast, made important friends faster, and made enemies fastest of all. He won a Pulitzer, but not for the most important book he ever wrote, The Jungle. He wrote a book that Disney made into one of his worst movies. His love life was a national scandal. He lost a fortune financing (on Charlie Chaplin's advice) a Sergei Eisenstein film the director never finished. He lived and wrote and argued his way through World War I, workers' revolts, frivolous flappers, Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II, and even, at the end, Vietnam. Upton Sinclair never thought he'd be the twentieth century's greatest novelist, but he may have been its greatest progressive activist. He was unquestionably a one-of-a-kind American.

Henry Luce called the twentieth century the American century, praising the country's industrial innovation, international might, and entrepreneurial icons like Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller. But there's another version of America, one less a cause for celebration--an America of social injustice, bitter hardships, and widespread inequality. That other American century is epitomized by Upton Sinclair and most prominently depicted in his book The Jungle, an achievement that led many to call him the greatest writer of the century. In Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century, political historian Kevin Mattson presents a wry, insightful portrait of this progressive icon and his turbulent times.

With the publication of his ferocious expose of the Chicago meat packing industry, Sinclair gained instant fame as a formidable opponent of the powerful forces he saw oppressing the common man--from religion to unregulated capitalism. Not content to simply sit at home and write, Sinclair often took his show on the road. For the next sixty years, he seemed to be at the center of every national debate, supporting workers' rights, running as a Socialist candidate for political office, exposing corruption in industry and government, and, to the surprise of many of his fans, supporting Prohibition and, later, the cold war.

Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century vividly, and sometimes humorously, captures the legend as he really was: obstinate, ingenious, and occasionally even effective. In an era dominated by wealthy industrialists and the entrenched political machines that served them, this muckraking journalist, bestselling novelist, and professional thorn in the side of power was a spectacular advocate for social and economic justice.

Back Jacket

Praise for UPTON SINCLAIR and the other American Century

""I look forward to all of Kevin Mattson's works of history and I've notbeen disappointed yet. Upton Sinclair is a thoughtful, well-researched, and extremely eloquently told excavation of the history of theAmerican left and, indeed, the American nation, as well as a testamentto the power of one man to influence his times. Well done.""
--Eric Alterman, author of When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences

""A splendid read. It reminds you that real heroes once dwelt among us. Mattson not only captures Sinclair's character, but the world he inhabited, with deft strokes whose energy and passion easily match his subject's.""
--Richard Parker, author of John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics

""From the meat-packing houses of Chicago to the automobile factories of Detroit to the voting booths of California, Upton Sinclair cut a wide swath as a muckraking writer who exposed the injustices rendered by American industrial capitalism. Now Kevin Mattson presents a much-needed exploration of this complex crusader. This is a thoughtful, provocative, and gripping account of an important figure who appeared equal parts intellectual, propagandist, and political combatant as he struggled to illuminate the 'other American century' inhabited by the poor and powerless.""
--Steven Watts, author of The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century

Author Biography

Kevin Mattson is the Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History at Ohio University. He writes regularly for publications such as The Baffler, Dissent, The Nation, and The New York Times Book Review. He has also served as a commentator on NPR, and appeared on Hannity and Colmes.