I bought this on Kindle ($9.00) after watching the film 'THERE WILL BE BLOOD' by Paul Thomas Anderson. Guardian voted this film The Best Film of The 21st Century. It's a brilliant film, but only the very basic themes of the book.
The book is actually a semi-fictional account of the Teapot Dome Scandal of the early 1920's under the Harding administration.
Link to a site about the novel:
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n01/edmund-gordon/how-to-hate-oil
It was a long novel and very engaging. I loved it and the novel had a sly, almost humorous tone.
If the choice is between Predatory Capitalism and Socialism, then Socialism is the way to go. The corruption that is inherent in Capitalism will cause social and economic damage and the poor will suffer.
It is remarkable that the Warren Harding administration and the Trump Years are so very similar. Privatize everything in sight and then drain off profits to you and your friends. "Free Market" means that the government has no oversight and you are motivated only by what delivers the most profit. If you want to sell cigarettes to seven year olds that's just fine...A.H. Dory. Although the novel highlights the excesses of Evangelicals in the radio era, the message is the same as today.... "I love Jesus, and Jesus loves me, and fuck you".
The relationship between the father and son is completely different from the movie.
The novel is a look at the differences between Capitalism and Socialism, but the movie highlights Evangelical Christianity and Free Market Capitalism.
Paul Thomas Anderson's film is a completely different slant than Sinclair's novel. I loved both works and it's kind of eye opening to realize that one hundred years ago these economic theories (Capitalism vs. Socialism) were butting heads, just like they still are today...and Free Market Capitalism is only getting stronger.
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