New edition of a futurist classic.
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--This text refers to an alternate
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Text: English, Russian (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Ehrenburg captures dehumanization of industrialization,
By Tom Darling "Tom Darling" (Bristol, Vermont) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Life of the Automobile (Paperback)
I came across an old Urizon edition of "The Life of the Automobile" in a box of used books. As a social studies teacher I have a hard time teaching my students--who have never worked in a factory or done much of anything for more than an hour straight--the mind numbing aspects of work. Ehrenburg captures not only how man becomes an extension of the machine on the line, but how each and every person involved in the process--from worker to car owner to the head of Citroen himself--is a slave to the machine of capitalism.
Which makes it all sound very socialist, and it is as Ehrenburg was a top Soviet propagandist. Where Ehrenburg rises above the likes of Upton Sinclair, though, is that his characters make choices. In the context of very commercial modern America today, Ehrenburg's characters seem to be leading unexamined lives, and thus their choices, as much as the system, leads to their unhappiness. Perhaps I am naive and too optimistic, but I present parts of this book as students needing to make choices about their futures and how to avoid the pitfalls of the adult work environment. We do have flaws in American society, but our freedom of choice--of where we live, what we buy, and what we do--is our greatest strength. The book does suffer from a bit of dated language and a journalistic style. Its strength is that many sections and chapters stand alone and can be read that way. This might not satisfy those who want a strong character or plot line, but it makes for a good assigned, bed time or bathroom reading.
3.0 out of 5 stars
College reading,
By A Customer
This review is from: Life of the Automobile (Paperback)
I was sent this book to read for the honors program at my college, and in my opinion, it is a far cry from the "masterpiece" that the Sunday Times hails it as. Parts have beautiful wording and imagery, but on the whole this book is a long, slow, and pitiful read. Alliteration is used far too often, and thus bogs down the already scattered story line. Unless it is required reading, I don't suggest this book unless you are most fascinated by the history of the upstarts of automobiles in the US and abroad.
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First Sentence:
Charles Bernard at first dealt in cigarette paper. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sir Henry, Monsieur Aubert, Monsieur Demelet, Royal Dutch, Herr Stoss, Monsieur Sandou, New York, Monsieur Cressillon, Radio Technology Corporation, Pierre Chardain, Signor Filippelli, General Motors, Monsieur Michelin, Standard Oil, Eiffel Tower, Great Britain, Monsieur Hay, Charles Mestorino, Johann Braeger, Monsieur Fillot, Chamber of Deputies, Charles Bernard, Monsieur Cambon, Rue de Jean, Sir John Cadman New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Charles Bernard at first dealt in cigarette paper. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sir Henry, Monsieur Aubert, Monsieur Demelet, Royal Dutch, Herr Stoss, Monsieur Sandou, New York, Monsieur Cressillon, Radio Technology Corporation, Pierre Chardain, Signor Filippelli, General Motors, Monsieur Michelin, Standard Oil, Eiffel Tower, Great Britain, Monsieur Hay, Charles Mestorino, Johann Braeger, Monsieur Fillot, Chamber of Deputies, Charles Bernard, Monsieur Cambon, Rue de Jean, Sir John Cadman New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
10
books
cite this book:
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- The Red Lily by Anatole France on page 147
- Novum Organum (Spanish Edition) by Francis Bacon in Back Matter
- Media Ecologies: Materialist Energies in Art and Technoculture (Leonardo Books) by Matthew Fuller in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Work in France: Representations, Meaning, Organization, and Practice by Steven L. Kaplan on page 310
- The Canadian Auto Workers: The Birth and Transformation of a Union by Sam Gindin on page 20
- The Passport by Herta Müller in Back Matter
- Liberal Democracy and the Social Acceleration of Time by William E. Scheuerman in Back Matter
See all 10 books citing this book
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