The Big Money

The Big Money by John Dos Passos

In Big Money, common people experience the roaring twenties. Like the other books in the USA trilogy, this book intersperses the fictional narratives with brief accounts of historical figures and rapid fire "mass media". It works well in an audiobook. The characters and plot are rather forgettable. What stood out most to me was an interest in aviation stocks and praise for Detroit. Some characters seems to get placed in positions above their capabilities, while union conflicts were still an issue.

1919

1919 by John Dos Passos

1919 is an interesting amalgamation of stuff. There are a few stories of characters. Most of the focus is on the working class characters with an attraction to Marxists. They live their lives. They don't tend to do anything special (though they may show up near significant events.) There are interspersed factual events and "multimedia dumps." Stylistically, it feels ahead of its time. There is enough attention to detail to the locations to make it feel accurate. I felt enough sympathy with the characters to want to continue to read their escapades, but not enough to want more.

The 42nd Parallel

The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos

The narrative of 42nd Parallel is interspersed with "newsreals" and biographies of historical figures. At times I'm not sure if I am learning about a person from the story or somebody from history. The focus is on "working people". They are enticed by socialism. However, they also need to work jobs, and will not let ideology get in the way of work. There are various struggles that they run into in living in the society. One of the primary characters works primarily in print shops. The industry is changing, and there are different opportunities. He ends up in Mexico where he gets employment, but also gets caught up in the revolution. Along the way, plenty of people are willing to offer advice, some of it good. Everyone is struggling to find their place in the world and among other people. I did enjoy the style of the book, and was able to follow it most of the time.