sebniv's reviews
110 reviews

I wished there was more of a focus on the relationships between the characters, and for the ending to be more fleshed out. A lot of build up for a couple of lines of a climax

A Sci Fi novel with a nice, amazing even, premise that gets dragged down by it's sexist and bland despictions of its female characters. 
One who has 0 personality traits outside of being lucky and naïve, she is just an ex machina to move the plot along when necessary with her poorly explained (eugenic like explanation) power of just being lucky. She is treated as a tool, not a character.
The other female character is literally just the most sexualised character you can imagine, life long prostitute for zero reason, ability to control men through sex, and only gets brought along in the end so the main guy can have sex with her, just like woman number one.

Finished King Coal, by Upton Sinclair, published in 1917. 

Recently I listened to Ramblin's Jack Elliott rendition of the Woody Guthrie song "Ludlow Massacre", which is about the eponymous massacre of 21 Miners by the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, and became interested in learning more about it and it's cultural effects.

King Coal is a loose adaptation of the events of the Ludlow Massacre, a Socialist Pro union novel set through the eyes of Hal Warner, the son of a mining tycoon as he goes undercover in a mining town to experience the work, conditions, and the abuse first hand. He quickly becomes entwined with the works, and mutually loathed by the calloused supervisors, his experiences at the mine sets his pro workers beliefs set in stone, while having the education to present them and spread them. Which sets off a series of tragic but inevitable set of actions that will make your blood boil.

Although the messaging can be delivered quite blunt at times, as expected from a mudraker, it was extremely powerful. It successfully expresses Sinclair's opinion of CEOs being lawless money-hungry individuals who values property and success over men. "Damn the Men! Save the mules!". It also shows how powerless the individual workers are against the machine, how unions are the only way for the law to be enforced inside a company. Which feels as ever relevant with the union busting culture of modern day companies: "People don’t realise that idea—that men have to be organised to get their legal rights.".

It also depicts a refreshing look of 1910's America, devoid of mentions about the Great War, and being largely set in a lower class environment, though it does dip into the socialites scene for a bit. I would highly recommend it if that era, or Pro union writings interests you. I'm wanting to read more by Upton now, especially Jungle which, I've heard, inspired Roosevelt to create the Meat Inspection act, and later the FDA to be created.

Wished we got a bit more of Amir and Fin, their dynamic was fun