[]
Crucible
  • Published: 24 February 2026
  • ISBN: 9781685892272
  • Imprint: Melville House
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 496
  • RRP: $75.00

Crucible

  • John Sayles
Formats & editions
EBook
20 Jan 2026
Hardback
24 Feb 2026
Pre-order from…
The Nile Mighty Ape BookHub Whitcoulls The Warehouse Paper Plus Fishpond Book Hero Unity Books University Book Shop Find Local Retailers

From the Oscar-nominated filmmaker comes a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford — the Elon Musk of his day — and the violent rise of the Ford Motor Company in 1920-30’s Detroit, featuring strikes, riots, misbegotten jungle expeditions, and the story behind Ford's private army . . .

"Crucible' is a sprawling, mural-like novel that engages with the process, the spirit and especially the conflicts of breakneck industrial progress.. . . [with] a dynamic vision of American history." — Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

From the Oscar-nominated filmmaker comes a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford — the Elon Musk of his day — and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit. It is an epic tale ranging from the 1920s through the second World War, featuring violent labor disputes, misbegotten jungle expeditions, a tragic race riot, and the gestapo tactics of Ford’s private army . . .

Already the gateway for illegal Canadian liquor during Prohibition, the Motor City becomes a crucible for American class conflict during the Great Depression, with an army of laid off Ford workers drifting into the ranks of the burgeoning union movement — Henry Ford's worst nightmare.  To keep the hundreds of thousands still employed by him in thrall, the man who was formerly 'America's favorite tycoon' recruits black laborers migrating from the deep South to serve as 'strike insurance', and gives Harry Bennett, pugnacious as he is diminutive, free reign over the legion of barroom brawlers and ex-cons who make up the company’s 'Security Department'.

The Model T mogul has also bought a sizable chunk of Brazil's Amazonian rainforest, vowing to grow his own rubber for tires, but stubbornly refusing to include a botanist in his troop of would-be jungle tamers. As a series of biological plagues descend on the Fordlandia plantation, the racial melting pot he has created in Detroit begins to boil over, and not even the Sage of Dearborn can control the forces that have been unleashed.

The novel's cast — Ford workers black and white and their families, young radicals, cynical newsmen, gangsters, Brazilian rubber tappers, cameos from boxer Joe Louis and muralist Diego Rivera — create the tapestry of differing points of view that John Sayles has become famous for, the events portrayed fundamental to the country we live in today.
  • Published: 24 February 2026
  • ISBN: 9781685892272
  • Imprint: Melville House
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 496
  • RRP: $75.00
Categories:

Praise for Crucible

Praise for To Save the Man . . .

"John Sayles has given us a harrowing story that not only deserves to be read but also reckoned with.” — Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls


"Both tender and harrowing, “To Save a Man” once again demonstrates Sayles’s dogged commitment to unearthing the buried truths that contour the ground beneath our feet." — The Washington Post

"TO SAVE THE MAN is, hands down, the best book I've read in years." —Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow



Praise for Jamie MacGillivray . . .

"[A] great book, very detailed…historical fiction with a ton of action, humor and hair-raising battles.” —Diana Gabaldon, author of The New York Times #1 Bestselling Outlander series

“This is a first-rate historical novel told with wit, verve and a subtle understanding of the mechanics of the genre." --Alex Preston, The New York Times Book Review

"An immersive reading experience that swirls with complex personalities . . ." --Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review

Praise for To Save the Man . . .

"John Sayles has given us a harrowing story that not only deserves to be read but also reckoned with.” — Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls


"Both tender and harrowing, “To Save a Man” once again demonstrates Sayles’s dogged commitment to unearthing the buried truths that contour the ground beneath our feet." — The Washington Post

"TO SAVE THE MAN is, hands down, the best book I've read in years." —Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow



Praise for Jamie MacGillivray . . .

"[A] great book, very detailed…historical fiction with a ton of action, humor and hair-raising battles.” —Diana Gabaldon, author of The New York Times #1 Bestselling Outlander series

“This is a first-rate historical novel told with wit, verve and a subtle understanding of the mechanics of the genre." --Alex Preston, The New York Times Book Review

"An immersive reading experience that swirls with complex personalities . . ." --Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review