Electric City: The Lost History of Ford and Edison's American Utopia

With vivid storytelling and deep historical insight, Electric City reveals how two titans of industry nearly reshaped America—and how their failure helped define the country's future. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison—corporate chieftains and visionaries with similarities to Steve Jobs and Elon Musk—envisioned a radical new city on the banks of the Tennessee River: a sprawling, electric-powered metropolis fueled by renewable energy, governed by its own currency, and free from labor unions. Their plan for a “Detroit of the South” promised technological marvels, mass commuting by car, and a future unburdened by pollution (or socialism). But their vision collided with local resistance and political reality. What began as a corporate utopia was ultimately transformed into the Tennessee Valley Authority—one of the most enduring legacies of the New Deal. In Electric City, acclaimed historian Thomas Hager unearths this extraordinary story of ambition, ideology, and the battle between private enterprise and public good. This acclaimed narrative nonfiction is a must-read, praised by the Wall Street Journal as "a well-researched, crisply written account tinged with irony." Read more