Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century

by Kevin Mattson

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 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 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 Henry Ford and the American Century

Genres: Biography

294 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. Kevin Mattson is a historian, critic, and author whose work focuses on the intersection of ideas and politics in the twentieth century. Currently, he is Professor of Contemporary History at Ohio University, where he teaches about U.S. cultural and intellectual history and popular culture.

Mattson's work has appeared in the American Prospect, the Nation, the New York Times Book Review, Salon, and the Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR, Fox News, C-SPAN, and the Colbert Report.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A readable short biography. With today's resurgent interest in democratic socialist ideas, Sinclair's long life and evolving political views offer food for thought.

[Donn Urban · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to finish this terrible book, hoping to learn what made this guy famous. Turns out he was a prolific writer of mostly really bad books. The Jungle, kicked it off (probably his best), revealing the terrible conditions in the meat processing business. He was a confirmed socialist (who befriended Einstein, also a socialist) and his novels mostly tried to advance his theories on how that would improve this country. He eventually ran for Governor of California, with a respectable showing in spite of press slander. His motives seemed sincere, but he was enamored of Soviet Russia, failing to see Stalin’s butchery staring him in the face. He was never a Communist, though. At any rate, this book degenerates into going into detail of his last series of novels…I just had to put it down.