100%: The Story Of A Patriot

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

100%: The Story Of A Patriot

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Set in early 20th-century America, this political novel exposes the manipulation of ordinary citizens by powerful business interests through wartime propaganda and labor repression. Following a working-class protagonist drawn into a secret service plot, the story critiques the machinery of state, the persecution of radicals, and the moral compromises required to serve corporate power during times of crisis.

Summary up to 500 words

In Upton Sinclair's *100%: The Story Of A Patriot*, the narrative follows Peter Gudge, an uneducated and impoverished man in the fictional American City, whose life is irrevocably altered by a single act of chance. While walking through a city draped in patriotic fervor and banners urging citizens to "Wake up," Peter accidentally witnesses a dynamite explosion. Initially dismissed by authorities as a suspect, he is instead co-opted by McGivney, a secret service agent working for the powerful Traction Trust. McGivney tasks Peter with investigating radical labor activists, known as "Reds," and managing the narrative of a fabricated conspiracy designed to crush the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.). The novel exposes the stark class divisions of the era, contrasting the grimy streets where the poor face starvation with the opulent, heavily guarded estates of the wealthy elite, such as banker Nelse Ackerman. Sinclair illustrates how the wealthy operate with impunity, protected by private guards and high fences, while ordinary citizens are manipulated into violence through state-sponsored propaganda. Newspapers and officials distort reality to incite mob lynchings and suppress dissent, all under the guise of patriotism. Peter's journey forces him to navigate a world where loyalty is bought and sold. He is pressured by his employers to maintain the facade of a legitimate investigation, despite his growing awareness of the injustices perpetrated against workers. The story culminates in a revelation that the entire plot was a "frame-up" orchestrated by business interests to eliminate labor movements. Through Peter's eyes, Sinclair critiques the ease with which ordinary people are manipulated into serving the agendas of the powerful, fundamentally questioning the definition of patriotism in a society built on exploitation and silence. The novel serves as a searing indictment of the mechanisms used to silence radical voices and protect corporate power at the expense of human rights and justice.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/upton-sinclair_hundred-percent-the-story-of-a-patriot.epub

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data/epubs/url-ae2726bf13debb06.epub

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Categories

• Fiction
• Politics