Life Of The Automobile (Old Edition) (Paperback)

~ Ilya Ehrenburg (Author) "Charles Bernard at first dealt in cigarette paper..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sir Henry, Monsieur Aubert, Monsieur Demelet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

First published 70 years ago, this is the novel of the consumer dream, in which characters like Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan and Andre Citroen move in and out of its pages. As do the unhappy victims of the first car crash and the first strikes in the car plants. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail (May 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852421304
• ISBN-13: 978-1852421304
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,065,228 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Ehrenburg captures dehumanization of industrialization, May 4, 2008

By	Thomas D. Darling "Tom Darling" (Bristol, Vermont) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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, August 10, 2000

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.