Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century

Kevin Mattson

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9780470362310
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Biographies
• Index: Literature

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

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: The Problem of Being Uppie
• One: “A Very Devout and Earnest Little Boy”: 1878–1892
• Two: “Would-be Singer and Penniless Rat”: 1892–1904
• Three: Socialist “Celebrity”: 1905–1914
• Four: War!
• Five: “Prize Prude of the Radical Movement”: 1920–1930
• Six: A Brief Intermission—Uppie Goes to the Movies: 1930–1934
• Seven: I, Governor of California: 1934
• Eight: Beyond California, toward a Popular Front: 1935–1939
• Nine: Mr. Middlebrow Goes to War Again, Hot and Cold: 1940–1960
• Ten: Socialist Emeritus: 1960–1968
• Notes
• Index