The novel J R is (1975) a scathing, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes brutal satire of American capitalist ideology and practice. Named after an obnoxious eleven-year-old boy who realizes the American dream with impossible speed and just as quickly sees it destroyed, the novel depicts a society that values above all else (particularly morality and love) the making of money. J R is a harsh look at corporate America and the people who make it tick, but it also contains powerful appeals to human values in the face of materialism and corruption.

"Money" is the first word of the novel, and the grasping for it is its major theme. The three main plot lines of J R revolve around the acquisition of, disputes over, and schemes for making money: Stella Angel and Amy Joubert each battles and schemes to gain controlling interest in her father's company; J R...