Book Summary and Reviews of Comrades by Thomas Dixon

Book Summary

Comrades: A Story of Social Adventure in California is a 1909 novel by Thomas Dixon, Jr.. It deals with the establishment of a socialist commune on a Californian island and its subsequent unraveling.

Widely reviewed, it was later adapted as a play and as a film.

Colonel Worth, a Confederate veteran, lives in San Francisco, California with his guardian Elena and his son Norman. At the outset of the novel, Col. Worth talks about the Battle of Manila of the Spanish–American War in the Philippines, especially Admiral George Dewey's damage done to the Spanish fleet. Meanwhile, his guardian and son go to a socialist meeting. Indeed, his son Norman becomes infatuated with Barbara Bozenta, a socialist figure, and hosts a socialist meeting at Col. Worth's country house near Berkeley on July 4, American Independence Day. The meeting is canceled when Norman attempts to put up the Red Flag as opposed to the American flag.