Book Bearings
Cover of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

Babbitt

  • 384 pages · about 6 hours
  • First published 1922
  • 451 editions
  • Free to read

Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.

1 About this book

"Zenith is the finest example of American life and prosperity to be found anywhere." Zenith is the Midwestern city where George F. Babbitt lives and works. A successful real estate agent, his business provides all the material trappings and comfort he thinks he ought to have. He is a member of all the right clubs, and unquestioningly shares the same aspirations and ideas as his friends and fellow Boosters. Yet even complacent, conformist Babbitt dreams of romance and escape, and when his best friend does something to throw his world upside down, he rebels, and tries to find fulfilment in romantic adventures and liberal thinking. Hilarious and poignant, Babbitt turns the spotlight on middle America and strips bare the hypocrisy of business practice, social mores, politics, and religious institutions. A brilliant satire, it evokes an era and at the same time exposes a universal social malaise.

Good for readers who want: a classic, satire, and a book they can read free online.

  • Classics
  • Satire
  • Psychological fiction
  • Humor
  • Businessmen
  • Middle aged men
  • Conformity
  • Real estate agents

2 Read it free, right here

A free scan from the Internet Archive opens right here on the page, with no sign-up.

Read it on the Internet Archive

3 About Sinclair Lewis

1885–1951

Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

4 More by Sinclair Lewis

5 Similar books

Find a book that fits your moment