Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century

Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century, by Kevin Mattson (2006)

Mattson, a history professor at Ohio University, has written a balanced profile of the author and activist who is best known for penning The Jungle. The landmark book was not a literary masterpiece but it did alert millions of readers to the atrocious conditions faced by immigrant workers in the Chicago meatpacking industry at the turn of the 20th century. Sinclair once said of his signature book, "I aimed for America's heart, and hit its stomach, instead."

Sinclair emerges as a man of contradictions. He started out an ardent socialist but as soon as he began to find wealth he moved to a palatial home in Southern California. The book tracks the author's move rightward toward mainstream politics, starting with his support for the first World War. He would later support World War Two and even the conflict in Vietnam at the end of his life.

In spite of his later embrace of the Democratic Party, Sinclair was never able to hide from his past: his own words were used mercilessly against him in a California gubernatorial run in 1932.

Mattson praises Sinclair for the fact that he took responsibility for his ideas. Even though he was often not taken seriously by them, he wrote governors and presidents in an effort to convince them to adopt his economic policies.

Mattson offers a frank criticism of Sinclair's writing, especially in regard to his works of fiction. Mattson points out that they didn't sell well for the simple fact that they weren't very good and Sinclair often struggled to sell his ideas to publishers. The author was rarely able to divorce himself from the activist and he simply didn't take the time to develop his stories and characters. He did however find success with his Lanny Budd series.

This short book is a quick and interesting account of Sinclair's life and it should appeal to a wide array of readers.