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King Coal
Upton Sinclair is best known for writing "The Jungle" -- a novel that exposes the practices of the meat packing industry that lead to governmental investigations and changed food laws in America.
"King Coal" is based on the 1914 and 1915 coal strikes and follows Hal Warner, a rich man who wanted a look into commoners' lives. What he found there was abho
...morePaperback, 304 pages
Published
January 1st 2007
by Aegypan
(first published June 1st 1994)
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I listened to the audiobook version of this, and it was good, didactic fiction. Really nicely based upon real research on the coal mining process, the problems involved in organizing a union, the problems involved in enforcing safety provisions, gender relations, inter-ethnic competition and solidarity, etc. Great as a book to assign to students. Especially nice that is an audiobook.
Spoiler alert: It is disappointing, though, that we find out the protagonist is not really a wage worker...more
Spoiler alert: It is disappointing, though, that we find out the protagonist is not really a wage worker...more
I found this book to be a truly captivating representation of the hypocrisy and oppression that the early 20th century coal miners encountered. While the plot is not as notable as his earlier work, The Jungle; King Coal is laced with it's own gruesome depiction of the corruption caused by greed and apathetic treatment toward the mine workers.
Upton Sinclair devoted his life to exposing the flaws of big industry and I think everyone could benefit from reflecting on his work.
...more
Upton Sinclair devoted his life to exposing the flaws of big industry and I think everyone could benefit from reflecting on his work.
...more
I really can't say how profoundly affected I was by this book. I have been interested in the history of coal camps, and the coal industry overall, for years, but never delved into it head first until about two years ago. I can say honestly that Sinclair's portrayal of labor relations, politics, and humanitarian struggles are just as true today as they were when he wrote this. I've seen things first hand... and at times it's disheartening to know that while some things have changed, so many other...more
Sinclair was unquestionably on the side of the angels, and I love him for it, but he wasn't what you'd call a great writer, on the evidence of this novel. That said, it does pick up a bit towards the end, which also features an incongruously zany cross-dressing episode.
My favorite Upton Sinclair book about the workingman's efforts to unionize. I like this one the most because it's optimistic, unlike the Jungle or Oil!, which are just plain depressing.
When taken in historical context (1917) this is an amazing story from my favorite muckraker. To think that America was ever a place of dreams come true for all is a fantasy play in the minds of the comfortable. Bodies and hearts are always being broken to make this country what it is...
This is a really good book, in fact I enjoyed it much more than Oil, the other Sinclair book I had read. I found it particularly interesting working on a tunnel project and working with the tunnel union and see what the conditions were like. The greed was remarkable
Wonderful, of course. But a rather depressing social portrait. Realistic, but depressing. Time for something light . . .
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Prolific American author who wrote over 90 books in many genres and was widely considered to be one of the best investigators advocating socialist views and supporting anarchist causes, he achieved considerable popularity in the first half of the 20th century.
He gained particular fame for his novel, The Jungle (1906), which dealt with conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry and c...more
More about Upton Sinclair...
He gained particular fame for his novel, The Jungle (1906), which dealt with conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry and c...more
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