Electric City

The Lost History of Ford and Edison's American Utopia

By: Thomas Hager

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The extraordinary, unknown story of two giants of American history - Henry Ford and Thomas Edison - and their attempt to create an electric-powered city of tomorrow on the Tennessee River

During the Roaring Twenties, two of the most revered and influential men in American business proposed to transform one of the country’s poorest regions into a dream technological metropolis, a shining paradise of small farms, giant factories, and sparkling laboratories. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s “Detroit of the South” would be 10 times the size of Manhattan, powered by renewable energy, and free of air pollution. And it would reshape American society, introducing mass commuting by car, use a new kind of currency called “energy dollars”, and have the added benefit (from Ford and Edison's view) of crippling the growth of socialism.

The whole audacious scheme almost came off, with Southerners rallying to support what became known as the Ford Plan. But while some saw it as a way to conjure the future and reinvent the South, others saw it as one of the biggest land swindles of all time. They were all true.

Electric City is a rich chronicle of the time and the social backdrop, and offers a fresh look at the lives of the two men who almost saw the project to fruition, the forces that came to oppose them, and what rose in its stead: a new kind of public corporation called the Tennessee Valley Authority, one of the greatest achievements of the New Deal. This is a history for a wide audience, including listeners interested in American history, technology, politics, and the future.

©2021 Thomas Hager (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Great book!

I enjoyed learning about the history of The Shoals and how TVA was born. Great historical account of Henry Ford’s attempt to buy Wilson Dam and the man that prevented it.

Good attempt

The author is someone I’ve enjoyed reading many works. The subject matter here was not his usual historical science topics, and lost my interest.

Pretty good

Interesting subject, well researched, and well constructed and performed. Don't know that I was made a bigger fan of Ford, though.

Lots of repetition

I had never heard of the Muscle Shoals project even though I'm from the south and fairly well educated. It is a fascinating bit of history and I am really glad I listened to the book. My only complaint is that the author often repeated himself and that was frustrating.

Fantastic!

This was an excellent read and the audio was perfect! thanks for sharing the history!

fascinating history off the Industrial Revolution

I found this a very informative story about my grandparents era. It explains the history of what became the TVA and speaks to the socio-political ideas of early 20thcentury America.

An Excellent Micro History

I’m glad I grabbed this audiobook. A quick listen. Moves quickly for those who may not like history.

I didn’t know the history of the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) nor the history of Henry Ford trying to start a city in the South. Unique part of US history.

My only complaint is at several points the author repeats himself. By memory it’s four times (maybe it was 3 or maybe 5). Not a big deal but just odd. Including the last chapter of the book.

Lots of interesting characters that this book explores throughout making multi-faceted.

Voice performer was very good as well.

Tedious

Repetitive and tedious book about nothing - literally, about something that never happened - with short shrift given to Ford’s vicious antisemitism.

Audio skipping

Having issues with the audio it keeps skipping and is chopping like it was poorly edited not sure if it is editing or a technical problem

Feels incomplete

I was excited to read Electric City and learn about this little known episode in American history. Unfortunately, the majority of Electric City is devoted to the decade of bickering, publicity stunts and political maneuvering over who should build the dams and control the river. While, there is ample discussion of famous names, their grand ambitions and fervent ideologies, it leaves relatively little time to cover what was actually achieved. Most results are confined to the very last chapter or brushed aside as “maybe” or “complicated”. It feels like the hasty ending to a suddenly canceled television series.


For example, Many pages debate construction estimates and the fairness of bids but we never learn how much the dam cost to finish. Other questions suffer a similar fate Could the TVA generate cheaper electricity, and demonstrate the alleged price gouging of other utilities? Maybe. Did the enormous TVA investments spur economic development in the region? It’s complicated. Did they at least succeed in controlling flooding? Dunno. Effects from the seismic shift in the relationship between private business and government deserve more than a blip

Finally, Electric City veers briefly into wild speculation on dark timelines where Ford wins the the presidency, maybe cooperates with Nazis, and his cities crumble with the rust belt. For an author that steadfastly refuses to take a positions on more objective and quantitative matters, I think this ends the book on a particularly foul note.


In the end I have more questions than when I started. I guess that’s learning but if you read history to understand the present, Electric City falls a little flat.