The Brass Check

By: Upton Sinclair

Narrated by: Peter Lerman

From the author of the landmark book of investigative “muckraking” journalism, The Jungle comes only the second book by Sinclair to be produced as an audiobook for commercial distribution: The Brass Check.

Upton Sinclair turns his critical eye and his sharp pen on the corruption and lies of the media that ruled the day 100 years ago - the newspapers, the magazines, and the wire services. He lays bare their pervasive collusion with big industrial, financial, and political interests.

Sinclair called The Brass Check “the most important and most dangerous book I have ever written”. He encouraged these corrupt institutions to sue him for libel if any part of his case was untrue. No such suit was ever filed.

The recording is by AudioFile Earphones Award-winning Narrator Peter Lerman. His reading conveys the contempt and disdain Sinclair felt for the journalists whom he meticulously dissects in this “take-no-prisoners”, full-frontal attack.

Public Domain (P)2021 Peter Lerman

Critic reviews

“Using the staccato energy and emphasis of a 1940s radio broadcaster, Peter Lerman deftly narrates Sinclair's detailed and often bitter broadside against the mainstream press of the early twentieth century.” (AudioFile Magazine, December 2021)

Know your enemy

Essential work for anyone whose asked "just how interesting is the time we live in?", "whose in control?", "what do I know?" or a million other that follow distrust of your source of news. Brace yourself to focus, you will find answers here.

The author doesn't put any emphasis on quotations different from Sinclair's own words, this caused me a lot of confusion in the section regarding a spurned and snubbed run for political office. Don't let a little common sense test dissuade you, your news feed will still be there when you return from this audiobook, God willing at a different perspective.

What would Upton Sinclair say today?

100 years later and we’re back on the edge of democracy. Prescient and historically illuminating.

Good book; you get what you expect.

It’s black and white with this Sinclair book. You know exactly what you are in for with this one. No lame love stories covering up Sinclair’s socialist ideals…and that’s a good thing. He basically outlines all the wild and wacky relationships he’s had with the media over the years and their predilection towards espousing capitalistic ideals, businesses, and interests. I enjoyed it but it gets a bit long winded and repetitive towards the last third of the book. I like Sinclair’s work and this actually was a breath of fresh air compared to some books of his that try to be compelling stories to spread his ideology. Some that are compelling (The Jungle). Some not (the Metropolis).

Great book horrible reader!

I love listening to Upton Sinclair books in audio form, some of the best literature to listen too. But the readers voice is unbearable, I tried to power through it but I could not. It’s monotoned,raspy, and sounds like a confused robot who can’t control the volume of his voice. Maybe I am use to better produced audio books, but because of that I did not finish the book.