Oil!
Categories: Literature & Fiction
Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel follows J. Arnold Ross, a self-made oil operator in Southern California, and his son, Bunny, who grows up watching his father drill wells, buy off officials and break strikes. Through his friendship with Paul Watkins, a ranch boy who becomes a labor organizer, Bunny comes to sympathize with the workers and turns toward socialism. Sinclair weaves in the Teapot Dome scandal, and the opening section inspired the 2007 film There Will Be Blood.
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- Martha Stewart: “Upton Sinclair, I loved all his books. So much fun reading him. It's kind of old-fashioned to say that, but it isn't old-fashioned. Everybody should read those books if you can.”