DOLLARTORIUM

$19.95

Coming February 10, 2026

Ralph makes world-class corndogs in a small Kansas shop. It’s humble work, but honest. The problem? The bills pile up faster than the money rolls in, and Ralph can’t help but notice the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. As he puts it:

“As far as I can tell, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting… what? Screwed? If I think about it too much—my situation, the way the money runs out before the month does—I start wondering if anyone’s even paying attention. And if they are, I’m pretty sure I’m at the bottom of the heap.”

Ralph’s wife has had enough. She’s determined to get rich, one way or another. So when an infomercial for the “Dollartorium” promises untold wealth through a few simple business courses, Ralph reluctantly agrees to give it a shot.

Soon he’s learning how to hire, fire, market, and hustle his way to success. And for a while, it works—until the entire Dollartorium empire collapses under the weight of its own greed.

In the end, it’s Ralph’s daughter, Stella, who saves him. With her help, he finds his way back to what really matters: honest work, family, and the best damn corndogs in Kansas.

Coming February 10, 2026

Ralph makes world-class corndogs in a small Kansas shop. It’s humble work, but honest. The problem? The bills pile up faster than the money rolls in, and Ralph can’t help but notice the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. As he puts it:

“As far as I can tell, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting… what? Screwed? If I think about it too much—my situation, the way the money runs out before the month does—I start wondering if anyone’s even paying attention. And if they are, I’m pretty sure I’m at the bottom of the heap.”

Ralph’s wife has had enough. She’s determined to get rich, one way or another. So when an infomercial for the “Dollartorium” promises untold wealth through a few simple business courses, Ralph reluctantly agrees to give it a shot.

Soon he’s learning how to hire, fire, market, and hustle his way to success. And for a while, it works—until the entire Dollartorium empire collapses under the weight of its own greed.

In the end, it’s Ralph’s daughter, Stella, who saves him. With her help, he finds his way back to what really matters: honest work, family, and the best damn corndogs in Kansas.

Praise for DOLLARTORIUM

The Dollartorium is an allegory for our times, a surreal meditation on the illusions, and delusions, that underpin late-stage capitalism and a society in which almost every relationship is monetized. It depicts an American Dream turned nightmare, while celebrating beacons of integrity and love in turbulent times, as well as the possibility of awakening. It provides an unsparing look at rampant greed and still radiates hope in the human spirit.

—Alice Hatcher, author, Dzanc Books

The novel (Dollartorium) is incredibly strong. There isn’t any excess fat on it, its sentences are direct and purposeful, its thesis clear. The ingredients here are spare but don’t leave the reader wanting: in a work of absurdist satire like this, it’s good to keep the practical stuff simple. It’s a satire of capitalism that takes Ralph, the owner of a small and honest corn dog business, and throws him into an exaggerated entrepreneurship self-help seminar called the Dollartorium. Ralph’s small business is mainly aimed at making people happy, but his wife, who’s convinced by those awful CNBC-style marketing shows that make you feel bad for caring about anything other than making one dollar into two, pushes him to a capitalist hellscape and we watch to see whether he holds up against that.

—Ted McLoof, Teaching Professor, University of Arizona, author of Anhedonia and Empty Calories and Male Curiosity

 

About RON PULLINS

RON PULLINS is a writer working in Tucson AZ. His works have been published in numerous journals including Typishly (Editor’s Choice), Southwest Review, Shenandoah, Sunspot, etc., and been nominated for Pushcart. Pullins won the 2022 Malcolm Lowry award for Dollartorium, a satirical novel, forthcoming from Unsolicited Press, Feb 2026. His novella, Ice Dancing, 2019, has been published in Sunspot Literary Journal and Fracture will be published in the fall of 2025. Fracture was a finalist and published Sunspot 2023 First Chapter and the novella will be published in Sunspot Fall 2025.  His plays, long and short, have won awards and been produced from coast to coast. A piece of his novel in progress, The Loin, was featured in a radio podcast by Mauhaus Productions, 2025.

 

  • Genre: Fiction / Novel

    ISBN: 978-1-963115-66-6

    Publication Date: February 10, 2026

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