The Flivver King: A Story of Ford-America

My son urged me to read this book. I thought it would be dull, but was amazed to find that it is very readable. I was fascinated by the story of the early beginnings of the Ford Motor Company, and shocked to learn of Ford's anti-Semitic views and the brutality to which his company descended to fight the labor unions. It IS true that you will definitely realize anew why unions are needed when you read about some of the conditions that the employees had to endure, i.e. the 'speed-up,' the refusal of Ford to aid laid-off workers during the Depression, etc. Well worth reading!

Upton Sinclair, The Flivver King reviewed by Jacob Powers Henry Ford. That national icon that we all learned at a young age is credited for making the automobile an accessible necessity to the American lifestyle. Because of his automobile metropolis, people from all over the world migrated to Detroit to be given the opportunity to work a five-dollar-a-day job on his assembly lines. Yes, Henry Ford is usually seen as the epitome man, successfully bronzing himself in Michigan history (to further prove this point, The Ford Museum recently changed its slogan to "America's Greatest History Attraction"). All in all, the Ford American icon makes him look like one hell of a guy. But, of course, there's more to the story than the simple assumption that Ford was a flawless man; after all, even icons have their faults. That is why there is The Flivver King: A Story of Ford-America by the renowned author Upton Sinclair. Sinclair, best known for his novel The Jungle, uses true documented history of Ford's rise-from the early years as a man simply trying to build a working automobile all the way to the industrial giant that he became. In the process, the author does not forget about the men behind the scenes of the Ford Empire. By creating a fictional character named Abner Shutt, whose life continuously crosses paths with Ford, Sinclair presents a straightforward story of those who are often overshadowed by Ford's fame and success as an American icon, presenting a socialist perspective-yet a very easy read-of a history that is often one-sided. Because of his attempts to capture history from multiple perspectives, Sinclair does not solely pinpoint Ford's strengths and successes. Instead, the author refuses to idolize Ford into a cultural celebrity, showing that even those who help mold society have their faults. In fact, the book itself could be split into two sections regarding Ford's image. The first focuses on how Ford's initial ideas on the auto industry were a blessing for those fortunate enough to work for him. After all, Ford was a revolutionary when it came to creating successful jobs for the average man, and Sinclair continuously emphasizes that actions such as these were the start to a wonderful life for the American citizen. Yet nothing lasts forever, and with the second part, Sinclair holds back no punches or cynicism to Ford's follies. He centers on the downfall and visible cracks of the Ford Empire for the blue-collar worker-i.e., the abolishing of the five-dollar-a-day plan, the decentralization of Ford's plants, the wage cuts, the forced overtime, the layoffs-again represented through Abner Shutt's life. Sinclair further focuses on the blue-collar workers revolts through the struggling attempts to forming unions. Not to forget Ford himself, the author also exposes the industrial king's bloody retaliation on the linemen who were against him. History, again, is represented through both sides. For those interested in Ford but tired of the

Sinclair writes an extremely interesting historical novel about the start of the Ford Automobile Company. The story is told from the perspective of Abner Shutt, one of Ford's first employees. Abner lives in the times where Henry Ford began his auto design humbly in the early 1900's till the mid 30's when Ford was known as the richest man in the world.The story's focus, however, is on the treatment of the workers. When Ford started his factory, he cared a great deal about his employees, but as time went on he became obsessed with speeding up the manufacturing process and increasing his profits. By streamlining the process and making people work harder, his profits grew while his workers received the same pay. When the workers tried to form unions Ford's "hidden spies" crushed any attempt of congregation, even resorting to violence.This book was like reading a detailed piece of history. Ford's anti-Semitic feelings are revealed through his little-known Dearborn Chronicle Magazine and how the Klan was active in the Detroit area. Also, Ford company initiatives are accounted for as well (such as moral families received a substantial bonus - if they allowed themselves to be investigated.) The historical scope of the novel is fascinating and I found it compelling, rich, and hard to put down. It is similar to the Sinclair's Jungle (an account on the conditions of the meat packing plants). The book was instrumental in the formation of the United Auto Worker's Union.

Sinclair, known mainly for The Jungle, has created a masterpiece of proletarit literature. As in The Jungle Sinclair uses the guise of a storyteller to warn the working population that where there is a false idol created by gold there is a hell on earth as a result. Sinclair's overriding message is simple: where there is the extremely rich, there is the extremely poor. Unlike Karl Marx or others like Marx, Sinclair doesn't force the message down the readers throats, he slips a little of the message into our drink and before we know it we are inebriated with his viewpoint. The book is about 120 pages but in those short few pages you meet and come to care about characters like Abner Shutt, Tom Shutt, and even the antagonist Henry Ford, the Flivver King himself. Sinclairs greatest gift as a storyteller is his ability to make us empathize, not just sympathize, with the characters. By the end of the story we don't just know what it might have been like to be those people, we know exactly what it was like because for a few moments Sinclair made us become those people. Not only does this book give us tangible characters, it also gives us a tangible atmosphere of early 20th Century America. This book was instrumental in the founding of the union movement that swept America for a very good reason. Read it and find out why it is as important now as it was then. Read it and find a cure for apathy.

Upton Sinclair has given the reader a general overview of what life was like in Michigan when Henry Ford revolutionized the world with his invention of the automobile. Sinclair does this through following Abner Shutt from child to old age and his involvement with Henry Ford. Shutt is totally sold on the ideals and ethics of Henry Ford, but does this last? The Shutt family is consumed in the Ford machine, and every daily action revolves around Ford, the man and the machine. This book is very well written, and lets the reader view history as though he or she were living at the time with the Shutt family.