Those That Do Not Know History... The time period is (basically) a century ago. Most of the action is taking place within about 3 years either side of 1920. And you have a nationally popular and very rich business tycoon running in an election that ends with allegations of fraud and demands for recounts. Sound familiar? This is only *part* of the story of a piece of American history that despite having a tangential connection to (my step-grandfather - the only second grandfather I ever knew - was from the Muscle Shoals region and was born there during the period discussed in this text), I had never heard about before seeing this book. I've known of the TVA, I've even considering applying for jobs there in my professional career. But this story of how they began - really nearly a decade *before* the Great Depression and FDR's New Deal - is quite fascinating on so many levels. Hager does a tremendous job of showing the breadth of what was happening and why as it relates to his central thesis, and people would do well to learn the lessons of this particular episode of American history. While the Bibliography was a bit lacking (at roughly 9% of this text vs a more common 20-30% or so), the author explains that much of his research was from original records and correspondences not captured in any previous volume, so that makes a fair amount of sense. On the whole, this seems well done and well balanced, and is very much recommended. ( )

Electric City from Thomas Hager is an interesting and detailed account of an often overlooked endeavor, part history book and part social/economic analysis.

To the extent that I knew anything about this project it was as a footnote to the history of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Reading the details, seeing how so many factors went into both the idea of a new beneficial way of building and living as well as the failure of such a project, was enthralling. It is also hard to avoid seeing how the same forces, with the same faults and virtues, are at work today in many areas.

I think this will appeal to a wide range of readers. If you simply like history that reads at times like fiction, but very well researched, you will enjoy this book. If you are particularly interested in lesser known events and projects, this will be quite an eye-opener. If you read with an eye toward what the past says about our present, you will definitely find a lot to digest here. And if you like reading about the "great men" of the past, well, Edison and Ford (for better or worse) fits that description.

As an aside, if you like reading about projects that were intended to have major social and cultural impact but failed largely because of subterfuge and pettiness, I would recommend Soul City by Thomas Healy.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )