Joshua B. Freeman
2019-02-19
"Freeman’s rich and ambitious Behemoth depicts a world in retreat that still looms large in the national imagination.…More than an economic history, or a chronicle of architectural feats and labor movements." —Jennifer Szalai, New York Times
In an accessible and timely work of scholarship, celebrated historian Joshua B. Freeman tells the story of the factory and examines how it has reflected both our dreams and our nightmares of industrialization and social change. He whisks readers from the early textile mills that powered the Industrial Revolution to the factory towns of New England to today’s behemoths making sneakers, toys, and cellphones in China and Vietnam. Behemoth offers a piercing perspective on how factories have shaped our societies and the challenges we face now.
Diving into the industrial landscapes, this non-fiction work brings an insightful and meticulously researched examination of the factory system's evolution. Freeman's narrative is as much about human ingenuity as it is about exploitation and progress. The juxtaposition of technological advancement against the backdrop of human labor conditions is compelling, and the book's visual descriptions of early factories could serve as inspiration for world-building in speculative fiction. It's a thought-provoking read that aligns well with a Solarpunk ethos, advocating for a reevaluation of our industrial legacy.
