Book Revue of Homeland by John Jakes

After his aunt comes down with a sickness, young Pauli Kroner makes the voyage to America in order to live with his uncle. His uncle, Joseph Crown lives in Chicago and has made a fortune in the brewing trade. Mr. Crown had immigrated a few years earlier and had now become very successful. Pauli arrived one day and then after an attempt to educate him in the local school system, he failed and he was put to work at the brewery. He had Americanized his name. He was now Paul Crown but his uncle had him start work at the bottom. He wanted him to learn the beer trade from the beginning. Know each step of the process.Joseph Crown Junior also worked at the brewery. Joe was friendly enough to his cousin but he was a socialist and was interesting in unionized labor. This was a sore spot with his father. He absolutely did not want a union in his beer plant. He wasn't happy with his son's activities. He warned Paul not to pay any attention to Joe's talk of organizing the brewery.Fritzi C
rown was the daughter. She was interesting in becoming an actor. Joseph accepted his daughter's desire to explore the idea of an acting career but he hoped she didn't go through with it. The setting of the story is late 1890's just before the Spanish American War. Actors weren't held in high esteem in those days.Ilsa Crown, the wife and mother, was a kind woman but didn't like her husband to be in the beer business. It didn't matter that beer had helped to live a comfortable life. She wished he was in a different profession. She also was a free thinker with an interest in women's suffrage rights. Joseph Crown wasn't too happy with his wife's progressive views.Joseph Crown held out all his hope for the youngest child, Carl. He hoped he would attend an Ivy League school one day and make something of himself. He had placed a lot of hope on young Joe but was disappointed with him.The world was nearing a new century. The country was receiving many new people coming in through Ell
is Island. New citizens were arriving from Europe and then wanting to organize America's factories. It was a booming time with new discoveries, innovation and invention. It was part of the new age. Management and labor were now at odds about many issues. Joe was at the center of it. One of his heroes was Eugene Debs of the labor unions. He attended meetings and watched as socialists got involved and caused problems. The big issue was wages and the forty hour week. Joseph Senior believed that he was good to his workers and it was all unnecessary but they were turbulent times.Joe argues with his father constantly and one day, Joe Junior runs away from home. Paul supports him and then is expelled from the household too. Now in the streets, Paul takes up an interest in the budding film industry. He had been fascinated with what he had heard and read. He became a camera operator and a new world opened up to him.

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