The Life of the Automobile

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.