Book
Crucible.
'Crucible' is a historical novel about Henry Ford - the Elon Musk of his day - and the violent rise of the Ford Motor Company in 1920-30s Detroit, featuring strikes, riots, misbegotten jungle expeditions, and the story behind Ford's private army. From the author of 'To Save the Man'.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781685892272
- Physical Description: 544 pages
- Publisher: Canada : Melville House, 2026.
Content descriptions
| Immediate Source of Acquisition Note: | Library Bound Incorporated |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | FICTION FICTION / City Life FICTION / Cultural Heritage |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. |
Available copies
- 0 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
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| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | ON ORDER | pr08133027 | FICTION | On order | - |
- Random House, Inc.
From the Oscar-nominated filmmaker comes a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford â the Elon Musk of his day, in more ways than one â and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit. It is an epic tale ranging from the 1920s through the second World War, featuring violent labor disputes, misbegotten jungle expeditions, a tragic race riot, and the gestapo tactics of Fordâs private army . . .
Already the gateway for illegal Canadian liquor during Prohibition, the Motor City becomes a crucible for America class conflict during the Great Depression, an army of laid off Ford workers drifting into the ranks of the burgeoning union movement â Henry Ford's worst nightmare.  To keep the hundreds of thousands still employed by him in thrall, the man who was formerly 'America's favorite tycoon' recruits black laborers migrating from the deep South to serve as 'strike insurance', and gives Harry Bennett, pugnacious as he is diminutive, free reign over the legion of barroom brawlers and ex-cons who make up the companyâs 'Security Department'.
The Model T mogul has also bought a sizable chunk of Brazil's Amazonian rainforest, vowing to grow his own rubber for tires, but stubbornly refusing to include a botanist in his troop of would-be jungle tamers. As a series of biological plagues descend on the Fordlandia plantation, the racial melting pot he has created in Detroit begins to boil over, and not even the Sage of Dearborn can control the forces that have been unleashed.
The novel's cast â Ford workers black and white and their families, young radicals, cynical newsmen, gangsters, Brazilian rubber tappers, cameos from boxer Joe Louis and muralist Diego Rivera â create the tapestry of differing points of view that John Sayles has become famous for, the events portrayed fundamental to the country we live in today.
