Author Talk: 'Crucible' by Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker John Sayles

Event Details

Step into a volatile and formative era of American history as Oscar-nominated novelist and filmmaker John Sayles presents his new historical fiction novel Crucible, which explores the epic tale of Henry Ford's automotive empire through diverse points of view, sparing no details about the maelstrom of class conflicts brewing in America at the time.

Sayles will be in conversation with fellow novelist, playwright, and filmmaker Trey Ellis.

Why You Should Come

Few writers move as fluidly between film and literature as Sayles, and even fewer can illuminate complex social histories with such nuance. Modern echoes of wealth inequality, rapidly shifting industrial and tech landscapes, and the ongoing fight for workers’ rights are still relevant today. Crucible presents a vivid historical lens for understanding the roots of these contemporary struggles.

“Sayles offers a propulsive view into the era’s rapacious capitalism and rapid social changes. This textured tale will resonate with readers concerned about workers’ rights and corporate greed.” — Publishers Weekly

“The message is simple and potent: Unchecked corporate power is a path to the mistreatment of humans, but people have the capacity, together, to win back their dignity.” — Kirkus Reviews

About the Book

Sayles’ Crucible is a complex and vast historical novel about Henry Ford — the Elon Musk of his day, in more ways than one — and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit. It is an epic tale ranging from the 1920s through the second World War, featuring violent labor disputes, misbegotten jungle expeditions, a tragic race riot, and the gestapo tactics of Ford’s private army.

Already the gateway for illegal Canadian liquor during Prohibition, the Motor City becomes a crucible for American class conflict during the Great Depression — an army of laid-off Ford workers drifting into the ranks of the burgeoning union movement — Henry Ford’s worst nightmare. To keep the hundreds of thousands still employed by him in thrall, the man who was formerly America’s favorite tycoon; recruits black laborers migrating from the deep South to serve as strike insurance, and gives Harry Bennett, pugnacious as he is diminutive, free reign over the legion of barroom brawlers and ex-cons who make up the company’s Security Department.

The Model T mogul has also bought a sizable chunk of Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest, vowing to grow his own rubber for tires, but stubbornly refusing to include a botanist in his troop of would-be jungle tamers. As a series of biological plagues descend on the Fordlandia plantation, the racial melting pot he has created in Detroit begins to boil over, and not even the Sage of Dearborn can control the forces that have been unleashed. The novel’s cast — Ford workers black and white and their families, young radicals, cynical newsmen, gangsters, Brazilian rubber tappers, cameos from boxer Joe Louis and muralist Diego Rivera — create the tapestry of differing points of view that John Sayles has become famous for. The events portrayed are fundamental to understanding the country we live in today.

About John Sayles

John Sayles is an independent filmmaker, screenwriter, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and once for the National Book Award. He has written eight novels, including, most recently, Jamie MacGillivray and To Save the Man.

About Trey Ellis

Trey Ellis is an American Book Award-winning novelist, two-time Emmy- and Peabody-winning filmmaker, NAACP Image award-winning playwright and essayist, and professor of professional practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. His lauded first novel, Platitudes, was reissued by Northeastern University Press along with his influential essay, “The New Black Aesthetic.” He also served as executive producer of King in the Wilderness, the 2018 Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary (Outstanding Historical Documentary) on the last three days of Dr. King’s life.

***

The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!