The Book of Joe: A Satire of Capitalist Society

This is a satire of American capitalism written in the form of the Bible's Book of Job. As such, it is, at least, an interesting literary experiment. As the preface says, "Many years ago, when I wrote this piece, I was struck by the satirical possibilities of the Book of Job if it were transplanted in time and space -- to modern-day America. A powerful satire of the modern world could be written in the form and style of Job, if the entire spirit of the work were reversed. The initial flash of inspiration came when I realized that Job expresses the EXACT OPPOSITE spirit of capitalist modernity: where Job was naïve, un-self-conscious, righteous, self-certain, wholeheartedly pious, the modern world is cynical, self-conscious, self-doubting, secular, money-grubbing. I was fascinated by the contrast between the culture of Job and the culture of the present..."