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The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King
by
Rich Cohen
Alegendary tale, both true and astonishing,from theauthor of Israel is Real and
Sweet and Low
When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, a banana hauler, a do...more
When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, a banana hauler, a do...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
June 5th 2012
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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An interesting read about Sam Zemurray, the Russian immigrant who came to the United States penniless and died one of its wealthiest and most influential men.
One of the greatest strengths of this book is that it's an honest portrayal as Zemurray as a complicated human being. It doesn't try to cover up his misdeeds or his involvement in some of the darkest and morally questionable acts in American foriegn policy during his era. Rather, it explains the rise of Cuyamel Fruit and Zemurray's eventua...more
One of the greatest strengths of this book is that it's an honest portrayal as Zemurray as a complicated human being. It doesn't try to cover up his misdeeds or his involvement in some of the darkest and morally questionable acts in American foriegn policy during his era. Rather, it explains the rise of Cuyamel Fruit and Zemurray's eventua...more
(This is my review which appeared in the October 18, 2012 issue of the Christian Science Monitor)
THE FISH THAT ATE THE WHALE, by Rich Cohen
Georges Doriot, the eminent Harvard Business School professor and widely acknowledged “father of venture capital,” had an annual ritual: He would have his students examine a Boston business directory from 100 years prior and then ask them how many of those businesses were still in operation. Invariably, the response ranged from few to none. It was a sobering...more
THE FISH THAT ATE THE WHALE, by Rich Cohen
Georges Doriot, the eminent Harvard Business School professor and widely acknowledged “father of venture capital,” had an annual ritual: He would have his students examine a Boston business directory from 100 years prior and then ask them how many of those businesses were still in operation. Invariably, the response ranged from few to none. It was a sobering...more
Too Wild to Be Believed, but It's All True: The Outrageous Story of America's Banana King
Chances are, you’ve never heard of this guy. But if you’re not aware of some of the things he’s done, you’ll never be a big winner on “Jeopardy” or pass an AP test in modern world history. Just for example, he was the guy who engineered the CIA-led coup that overthrew the government of Guatemala in 1954, ushering in an era of intensified hatred for the United States throughout Latin America. He was also pivo...more
Chances are, you’ve never heard of this guy. But if you’re not aware of some of the things he’s done, you’ll never be a big winner on “Jeopardy” or pass an AP test in modern world history. Just for example, he was the guy who engineered the CIA-led coup that overthrew the government of Guatemala in 1954, ushering in an era of intensified hatred for the United States throughout Latin America. He was also pivo...more
If you ever wondered about that strange yellow "fruit" that easy to eat; try this fascinating story which, among other things, will explain why it's not a fruit. And how it comes from an herb that grows as a rate rivaling the kudzu vine. And how in the history of Central American countries, shrewd entrepreneurs (in the correct sense of the word and not to be confused with business managers) saved piles of what were considered noxious waste into a product of immense proportions. Even how the almo...more
Cohen, finding another Tough Jew, relates the outrageous life of Samuel Zemurra, who rose from emigrant poverty as a Mobile shopkeeper by selling ripe bananas along the southern railroads, then branching off into his own plantations, then operating under the wing of United Fruit, then overthrowing the Honduran government with New Orleans goons, then breaking from United Fruit, then taking over United Fruit. Along the way he toppled governments and installed banana republics of breath-taking inco...more
A fascinating book about a fascinating life. Zemuarry was the quintessential American success story of the early 20th century. As such, his life is interesting in and of it's self, but more interestingly, he interacts with many of the other fascinating men of his time. Beyond his business success, which is well presented, you also meet:
* Chaim Weizmann - who is critical in the founding of Israel.
* Edward Bernays - who defined Public Relations, which Bernays came to understand vacationing with hi...more
* Chaim Weizmann - who is critical in the founding of Israel.
* Edward Bernays - who defined Public Relations, which Bernays came to understand vacationing with hi...more
Those of us familiar with the biblical story of the Jewish patriarch Jacob won't get too far into The Fish That Ate the Whale before recognizing the similarities between him and Sam Zemuray, the subject of Rich Cohen's outstanding biography. The constant scheming, striving and conniving is evident in them both. Both were exiles. Both worked tirelessly beyond the limits of human expectations. Both lost a son (kind of). Both achieved their goals even when it cost them dearly. One is a descendant o...more
When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, a banana hauler, a dockside hustler, and a plantation owner. He battled and conquered the United Fruit Company, becoming a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof that America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic e...more
I like author’s conversational style of writing, almost as if he’d just returned from an exploratory trip and we’re on a southern veranda with him telling of his experiences as we sip juleps. Zemurray, the Banana Man, was often a ruthless and nasty business in-fighter, highly focused on control. For a time his company owned much of the agricultural real estate of central American countries. He completely controlled Honduran President Carias, a “kickback artist with a sort of power mustache.” Lat...more
Evidently, there was a lot to learn about the banana trade as I realized early on in this bio of Sam Zemurray aka "The Banana Man" due to his wealth and power in the banana trade. I didn't know anything about bananas except they were tropical. This book tells the story of Zemurray's immigration to the United States and how he created an empire from an initial purchase of ripe bananas. His power was so great, he could even topple governments in Central American if he didn't like how they dealt wi...more
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This is the story of the American dream as lived by a penniless immigrant who struggled from the depths to the peaks. It is by turns funny, informative and exciting, having, as it does, the narrative drive of a spy novel. It also raises questions, and will have you debating, about the costs other people in this world--in this case, the people of Central and South America--have had to pay so that we could live our dream. It is the story of manifest destiny and endless expansion lived by one man....more
Love this book about Sam Zemurry. His "garden" as we called it, is located between my mother's farm and my brother Kenny's farm. I pass it every time I go between their homes to visit. My memories of the gardens are wonderful. I spent time there as a child skipping over the stepping stones placed in the lake and took my beau there for a romantic walk along the azalea lined paths when I was a teen. Rich Cohen did the locals a favor by researching and sharing what he knows about our neighbor, Sam...more
I have finally returned the book to the library unfinished. It kept falling from my hands. I have not been able to catch up and been motivated to read as it was so poorly written it was a shame!
It felt like some parts were aggregated together from different notes without editing, and that the book had not been written by the same person, or that person had really never done any editing work. I can't congratulate the publishers.
I am sure the story is fascinating. But I never got past chapter 7 an...more
It felt like some parts were aggregated together from different notes without editing, and that the book had not been written by the same person, or that person had really never done any editing work. I can't congratulate the publishers.
I am sure the story is fascinating. But I never got past chapter 7 an...more
Not only does this cover a fascinating slice of 20th C. History, it is rich in character, incident and narrative suspense (a tough call for non-fiction). I read it because it featured the arch-nemesis of G.G.Marquez's masterpiece "100 Years of Solitude", but it also provides insights into both the Ugly American and the American Dream which have been staples of American literature. It actually brings alive Uncle Ben of Arthur Miller's classic "Death of a Salesman" and juxtaposes him against Che G...more
The story of the time period from 1890 to 1960 (or so)was interesting. I remember the hoop-la surrounding the events in the mid-50s when Allen Dullas was head of the CIA so learning the background for the previous 50 years in Central America was enlightening.
The book, however, was very poorly written. It would go around and around in a circle, covering the same material and then suddenly shoot off into the stratosphere to take on a different subject altogether. Many of these subjects (like the f...more
The book, however, was very poorly written. It would go around and around in a circle, covering the same material and then suddenly shoot off into the stratosphere to take on a different subject altogether. Many of these subjects (like the f...more
Reading this book felt like listening to a very elderly professor tell a story. It started out about Samuel Zemurray, the banana king. It wandered off and told long tales about various people associated with him, the history of the banana business, the history of Guatemala and Honduras, Che Guevara, WWII, the founding of the Israeli state, Tulane University, how the author wrote the book, and I'm just skimming the surface of the meanderings.
I know more than I did before I read the book, but I di...more
I know more than I did before I read the book, but I di...more
This is the story of Sam Zemurray, bananas, the United Fruit monopoly, and the banana republics in Central America. After about 5 pages I started asking myself, “How did this book get on my reading list?” It is not a book I would be likely to select to read, but I enjoyed most of it and found much of both interesting and disturbing. The information about the beginning of the banana trade in the US is fascinating. I began to get disturbed when the story turned to the United Fruit monopoly and the...more
Overwritten but the subject matter was so interesting I was willing to overlook this. Interesting character who did both horrendously bad and wonderfully good things, (such as helping Jews get out of Europe) made it big by working his ass off, being cleverer than the next guy, and not having qualms about overthrowing the occasional government that got in the way of his business. Plus, did you know the banana is not a tree but the world's largest grass?
Fascinating book. Cohen is a great writer and researcher. But, the book is befuddling. Sometimes you can't tell what is made up and what is factual. He adds tons of his own whimsy. For a while I thought he was too fascinated with Samuel Zemurray to grasp the horrors inflicted by the United Fruit Company. By the end, though, He captures the crazy violent oppression of United Fruit and the US government.
A fascinating read!
A fascinating read!
How can anyone resist a banana? I was attracted to the book cover and then was facinated by the story of Sam Zemurray and the United Fruit Company. This is a story about a self made man and how power and money can corrupt. This company seems to have had the CIA and the State Dept in it's back pocket. I wish that the Supreme Court justices would read this book and then change their decision on Citizens United.
A fascinating story of the rise and fall and rise and fall again of the man who helped put bananas on the culinary map in the US. It's fascinating to read how US foreign policy in Central America was run by the banana magnates. Author Rich Cohen inserts himself into the story, which is annoying and distracting. Too bad. All this author showing off really detracts from what's otherwise a spellbinding tale.
Rich Cohen does it again! Another insightful, funny, entertaining look at a little known man whose life story Cohen crafts into something deeply important and poignant. Nearly too romantic at times, Rich Cohen is able to walk that tightrope well and ultimately spin a really good yarn that touches on a lot of major themes. Highly recommend this along with his other book, "Sweet and Low," which deals with similar themes of Jews in America, the entrepeneurial spirit, and the heroic and sinister sid...more
This man is a character! When you read about the robber barons of the early 20th century, you think of trains, oil, cars, etc. Samuel is a truly energetic man, who sees a niche and works to fill it, working his way up until he controls the whole banana import/export business in America. Non-fiction, but the book reads like a novel.
The basic story of Samuel Zemurray, a poor Russian immigrant who became the most powerful man in the banana importing business is interesting. That said, I frequently found the book tedious and too filled with excess detail. I stopped and started this book a couple of times, not finding it very engaging.
This is a better story than almost any movie I have ever seen. Sam Zemurray's life was remarkable, and deserves to be made into a movie. The narrative is a little repetitious, and it is distracting that Cohen inserts himself occassionally, but overall it's a great page-turning read about an amazing man.
I loved this book! Ever since I read Koeppel's "Banana: Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World", I have been dying to learn more about the banana industry, and Cohen delivers.
He tells the tale of the conflicted and highly controversial banana industry through the life of one man, Samuel Zemmuray, arguably the most influential banana businessman...well, ever.
The writing flowed well from one subject to the next, and I found myself deeply engaged in the book. It felt more like I was being told a...more
He tells the tale of the conflicted and highly controversial banana industry through the life of one man, Samuel Zemmuray, arguably the most influential banana businessman...well, ever.
The writing flowed well from one subject to the next, and I found myself deeply engaged in the book. It felt more like I was being told a...more
Phenomenal. Fascinating. A walk through the good and evil of every human nature, how power can aid and corrupt, and how, in the end, we all return to dust. It includes an incredibly detailed account of early American capitalism and encapsulates the Manifest Destiny.
An incredibly engaging read that blends history, mob-style stories, and a bit of science. The life of Sam Zemmuray is intriguing and bridges the gap between the "American Dream"ers of the early 1900's and the emerging corporate masters of the second half of the century.
Fascinating man.
Amazing impact on an entire region.
But . . .
I really don't like a story that interrupts itself to (for example) tell you what route he took to work and then say, Not that we know what route he took every day. We have to guess. Just throws me off the stride.
Amazing impact on an entire region.
But . . .
I really don't like a story that interrupts itself to (for example) tell you what route he took to work and then say, Not that we know what route he took every day. We have to guess. Just throws me off the stride.
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RICH COHEN is the author of Sweet and Low (FSG, 2006), Tough Jews, The Avengers, The Record Men, and the memoir Lake Effect. His work has appeared in many major publications, and he is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He lives with his family in Connecticut.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Coh...
More about Rich Cohen...
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Coh...
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