“As a novel, there isn't a whole lot to say about this book. It's a revolutionary story that chronicles a failed uprising, told from the perspective of the wife of one of the revolutionary leaders. It starts with her falling in love with a striking figure who challenges her worldview and makes her see the injustice of the world and follows through to the failed rebellion (the first one, the fact that a second rebellion fails and her husband is executed are given in the framing device). As narrative, it is just a dystopia. The character's are well described, but not particularly complex. I never felt fully invested in them the way I am with some other similar stories.
The main interest in this book is as social commentary. In the description, it talks about how the book was predictive of social upheaval in the 1930s, but resemblance to today is uncanny. If you replace the talk of the Oligarchy, trusts, and captains of industry with the term 1%, the Iron Heel becomes very relevant. In fact, the mathematics of the 99% are laid out in this book with startling accuracy considering it was published 105 years ago. Of course, the fact that it has been that long and nothing has really changed is a bit of an indictment to the book's message, but maybe we're coming back around to it. I came across the book by chance, but I can see how it might experience a resurgence in the hands of Occupy Wall Street and people interested in the Arab Spring.
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