The book is a bit of dry reading at times. However, if you get past that, you get a good history of the various company towns in the U.S. and their history. Some of the major players, names we have often heard of such as Hershey and Corning are present as well as other names that may not be as well known today such as Pullman (the railroad car company) and various coal towns. Well, there were a bit less known to me. I am sure the locals in their respective areas would know. Anyhow, what is fascinating about the book is the broad range of developments and experiences in the company towns. Some bosses were very patriarchal and tried to build utopias with some degree of success. Others built hells on earth for their workers. The book also brings in labor and organized union history as well and gives a look at American history from the late 19th century to the modern era.

The author does a pretty good job of summarizing the main points of the book, tying the patterns nicely of why some company towns were more like utopian communities and why others were hellish holes of exploitation. And we also get a glimpse at the modern incarnation of company towns such as the Googleplex, places that are not so much real "towns" as places where employees don't really have to go home.

Overall, this is a book worth reading as it gives a good picture of a very important part of American history. Readers interested in labor history as well will want to read this book. ( )