Customer Reviews
A view of American socialism - By: Depressaholic, 11 Mar 2006 
Dos Passos’ ‘USA’ trilogy was published in the 1930s, & chronicles the lives of a few ordinary Americans in the years during & following WWI. Although the USA celebrates 1776 as the year of its birth, in one sense the modern world superpower was being forged in the first few decades of last century (the period covered by this book), as immigrants came in their millions & the first skyscrapers went up in New York, heralding its conversion from a dingy port to a major city. Even as it was changing as a country, the USA was making political & ideological choices that have shaped the last 100 years of its (and the world’s) history. ‘USA’ is a fictional examination of the attempt (and, ultimately, failure) of socialist groups to influence the development of the country, something that seems almost unthinkable today. It paints a picture of a politicallly diverse country struggling with its choices, & a country that could easily look very different today.
The book itself follows the lives of a few characters, examples of ordinary, unremarkable Americans, from their birth to their deaths, as they try to find their places in the burgeoning USA. As they make their way in life they encounter the temptations & promises offered by capitalism, socialism & consumerism. Although the book purports to be biographies of these people, it is reallly about how they are affected by, & try to change, the prevailing political winds, & how modern, capitalist America was born. Their stories are interspersed with short biographies of real historical figures (such as Woodrow Wilson & Thomas Edison), a powerful way of juxtaposing the ‘little’ people with the ‘big’ ones, & showing the nexus within which they interact. The characters of the main stories also criss-cross each other’s paths; sometimes directly, sometimes obliquely, adding to the ‘One Nation’ feel. There are also ‘camera eye’ pieces (short prose poems from American life) & ‘Newsreels’ (cinema-style shorts re-telling the news of the day). All of these are combined in an attempt to create a biography of a whole nation in the 1910s & 1920s. We are left with a fascinating left-wing view of the USA that history has largely confined to the dustbin.
‘USA’ is a hugely ambitious book, & one, I thought, that didn’t always succeed. There were just too many distinct narratives, too many stories being told, & I found it difficult to keep track. I thought that the book overcomplicated a fairly simple point, & didn’t need to be a 1200 page epic which, I must be honest, got a little bogged down in places. Also, I found that Dos Passos’ book fell between two ideas: one in which it tried to be a comprehensive biography of the USA in the 1920s, & one in which it told its story from the perspective of the socialist movement. It tried to do both & ended up doing neither especiallly well, in my opinion. However, the structure (stories interspersed with Biographies, Newsreels & Camera Eyes) was brilliantly realised, painting a detailed picture of one perspective of early twentieth century USA. There were some sublime moments of prose, not least concerning the executions of Sacco & Vanzetti (Italian-American socialists executed for murder in what was almost certainly a political act), in which the socialists realise that they are beaten, & that America will be run by their enemies for the foreseeable future. This passage, which begins ‘So we are defeated, America...’ is perhaps the finest prose I have ever read; a heartrending & lonely cry, & extremely beautiful. Moments like this made reading the whole book worthwhile.
I don’t think it reallly matters what your political view is, or your opinion of where America is at now, to appreciate ‘USA’. It was fascinating (for me) just to know that socialism has ever existed as a significant force in the domestic politics of America, & also to see how modern America was born from the choices it was making in the decades covered by this book. The book is obviously written with socialist sympathies (though it should be noted that Dos Passos turned to right-wing Republicanism at the end of his life) but it is more about the possibilities that existed as a nation was born. It was undoubtedly a bit of a slog. I’m glad I read it, but probably won’t be doing so again. However, if you are prepared to put the work in, there is a fantastic novel about an America that no longer exists (and most people assume never existed) hiding in there somewhere.
Tell as many people as possible about this book - By: , 02 Sep 2004 
This one volume version of 'USA' trilogy must surely rank along with alll the greatest American works of literature; it's a truly breathtaking panorama of one of the most turbulent times of American & world history. The book works on several levels. First, as a fiction, it is gripping, compelling, with often fast-paced action; the reader will fly through it. The characterization is grand, with cleverly interplayed action as protagonists meet & re-meet against the awesome backdrop of the political & historical turmoil that inspires but often wrecks their own ambitions & dreams. Of the characters, the sailor, Joe Williams, is by far the best, & Dos Passos writes well at getting into his thoughts, though not in a overly detailed intellectual way, that may leave some readers thinking that Dos Passos was a bit light on the deeper feelings - but that would not have fitted the style; what could be more expressive than when Joe feels "alll funny inside", unable to articulate but able to 'feel' his emotions? One slight gripe is that several of characters become a bit similar; too many young men passing through the American Red Cross & through the plot - the author's own experiences coming out in too many of his characters.
The next level is as a social history. If someone is looking to find out how things were in the USA in the beginning of the 20th century then (I guess) this book is for them. By the time the reader has finished this book, they'll be pretty well informed about the politics & history of the time. The snippets of headlines & popular songs also add to the colour. One fascinating aspect for me as a Briton was how the Americans were viewed in Britain prior to their entering the war in 1917; Dos Passos' view on the British is a little irreverent though highly amusing.
A third level of the book is as a critique of America & this is invaluably aided by the short biographies of some of the nation's movers & shakers - the 'hands that built America' if you like - scientists, politicians, workers' rights activists, architects, mavericks. Dos Passos shows us both the strengths & weaknesses of the nation. Industrial might but a disturbing picture of how anyone who wishes to help the workers is treated by the system & the industrialists; the irony of being against (often falsely reported) German barbarism in the war & the reason for entering the conflict while silently condoning the murder of domestic strikers & once the war is over, how national hatred is turned on communists, culminating (in the book) in the Sacco & Vanzetti trial - two Italian immigrants sentenced to death on dubious evidence. America is depicted as a highly successful dictatorship, masquerading under the name of democracy, but still the land of opportunity & dreams - the American Dream. America sustains them but then beats them down. Woodrow Wilson is shown as a rather naive but hypocritical man: he wins an election on being anti-imperialist but sends Black Jack Pershing to invade Mexico; he's re-elected to keep America out of WWI. These lessons are extremely relevant for today & we see how Wilson's ideals impede the proto-neocons in their thirst for oil & their jealousy of, in this case, the British Empire as it snaffles up oil from the Middle East to Baku while Wilson, blind in his own idealism & sense of his righteousness, is led by the unscrupulous Lloyd George & Clemenceau at the Treaty of Versailles. The reader will see that absolutely nothing has changed in American politics, & I feel that is one of Dos Passos' messages; or rather, from Lincoln & the Civil War to the birth of American imperialism there had been a great change, but now it can only get worse as Lincoln's ideals are replaced by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt's belligerence.
The biggest mystery is why is this book so unread? Perhaps its length, but then people still read 'War & Peace'. Technicallly, Hemingway & particularly Faulkner look pretty shaky against Dos Passos, perhaps even Steinbeck - Dos Passos is simply a better writer. Perhaps it's the writer's own name, & people are put off by his Portuguese name, thinking the work is a translation?! I don't know. Maybe because he often offers no hope, no deus ex machina - most of the characters have pretty miserable ends! But I do know that this book is a rewarding read & book you'll love to read again. It's also enjoyable just to re-read the favourite parts & make your own book from them, as the characters easily slip into & out of each other's lives. It should be every reader's didactic mission to 'tell as many people as possible about this book'.
Dated - By: , 04 Aug 2004 
I'm a Yankophile Brit with a great love of US fiction, but I thought this was a reallly bad book. The Newsreel was uneffective & the Camera Eye a tired, lazy immitation of Joyce. The story sections lacked empathy, humour, insight & most importantly interest. In short this is a very, very boring book.
Fantastic! One of the great American works of the century! - By: , 13 Apr 1999 There is no praise that is too great for this trilogy. It blends creative techniques (although not alll of them succeed completely) with compelling storytelling & an acute political sensibility that lifts it far beyond a mere tract. Sartre callled Dos Passos the greatest American writer, & with this body of work, at least, it is hard to find fault.
The English Language Novel from the Eng. Lang. Novelist! - By: , 23 Mar 1999 As a foreigner (and from the beginning I excuse myself not only for my poor English but for what I am to say) I believe it is so sad of the Americans to not know this novel & this novelist, to not appreciate & revere them. Outside the U. S. we alll do admire Dos Passos & do know his biggest novels, U. S. A., Manhattan Transfer, Three Soldiers & even the One man's initiation you seem to hate so much. Yes, we alll think it's sad & even sick. Shame on you! But I believe you will realize that you must & that you will make amends with Dos Passos.
