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Rats in the Grain: The Dirty Tricks and Trials of Archer Daniels Midland, the Supermarket to the World
Beneath the wholesome image of Archer Daniels Midland lie some of the dirtiest practices in American business: price-fixing, bribery, and cover-ups. Unfolding like a legal thriller, Rats in the Grain portrays the crime and punishment of ADM during the largest white-collar criminal trial of the 1990s. James Lieber profiles the witnesses, the defense lawyers and federal prosecutors, the inner workings of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, and the unpredictable mole Lieber had access to. "A detailed account of how an influential corporation can go rotten." -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2002
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About the author
James B. Lieber
7 books5 followersJames B. Lieber is the author of Killer Care, Rats in the Grain: The Dirty Tricks and Trials of Archer Daniels Midland and Friendly Takeover: How an Employee Buyout Saved a Steel Town (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize). He has written for a variety of publications, The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Nation among them. His article on the financial crisis for The Village Voice became that publication’s most widely read article for the year. He is a Pittsburgh-based lawyer, dividing his practice between civil rights law and commercial litigation.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 9, 2020
Story of corruption at ADM. Interesting but the trial portion gets a little tedious. B-
February 19, 2021
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) produces a huge number of chemical derivatives from corn and soy which are ubiquitous in the modern food system. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is probably the most commonly recognized. In the mid nineties ADM conspired to fix several of the markets in which they sold their products by agreeing to maintain artificial prices and levels of supply. ADM is also one of the most politically powerful companies in America through large donations and lobby groups. The CEO company was involved directly with Watergate but was one of the only two people to escape with no legal penalties. ADM is in large part responsible for the success of ethanol and HFCS in America. ADM is one of the primary recipients of federal subsidies.
This book reveals the amazing extent to which ADM has been able to control politics, markets, the American justice system.
I just finished reading this book all the way through. The first half (maybe third) of it speeds through the relevant history needed to follow the trial. It is interesting, dense, and certainly seems well researched, but it ends up feeling somewhat cursory by the time the trial comes around. The trial is really what the book is about.
The author is a lawyer himself and covers the trial with an eye towards strategic movements of the parties involved. It feels very similar to the detailed examination a coach or experienced athlete would give of a sports game. I know very little of the legal games played in court and it was interesting to follow along with someone who understands the significance of the subtle maneuvers. The guilt of the criminal parties seems assured by the evidence collected, so it becomes a question of how the defense will try to finesse loopholes in the standing law or a sympathetic ruling from the judge and jury.
By the end though I grew tired of watching guilty executives try and squirm their way out of responsibility. It is really the first third of the book, where the crimes are established, and the history of ADM's incredible political power and extra legal business practices are laid out that I found most interesting and eye opening and tragic.
I recommend it more than the three stars would suggest, it is a fast entertaining read, and not as long as it looks with all of the notes and citations at the end of it. The power of ADM (and Cargil) is astounding and this gives a good sense of it.
I should also mention that there is another book that covers this story The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald. I have not read it, I did read the first couple pages on Amazon.com. It is written in a much more narrative style and seems to focus mostly on the actual investigation rather than the trial, which is a very interesting and tragic story. It seems to have sold more than Rats in the Grain, which isn't really anything to recommend it by, but does means something I suppose.
This book reveals the amazing extent to which ADM has been able to control politics, markets, the American justice system.
I just finished reading this book all the way through. The first half (maybe third) of it speeds through the relevant history needed to follow the trial. It is interesting, dense, and certainly seems well researched, but it ends up feeling somewhat cursory by the time the trial comes around. The trial is really what the book is about.
The author is a lawyer himself and covers the trial with an eye towards strategic movements of the parties involved. It feels very similar to the detailed examination a coach or experienced athlete would give of a sports game. I know very little of the legal games played in court and it was interesting to follow along with someone who understands the significance of the subtle maneuvers. The guilt of the criminal parties seems assured by the evidence collected, so it becomes a question of how the defense will try to finesse loopholes in the standing law or a sympathetic ruling from the judge and jury.
By the end though I grew tired of watching guilty executives try and squirm their way out of responsibility. It is really the first third of the book, where the crimes are established, and the history of ADM's incredible political power and extra legal business practices are laid out that I found most interesting and eye opening and tragic.
I recommend it more than the three stars would suggest, it is a fast entertaining read, and not as long as it looks with all of the notes and citations at the end of it. The power of ADM (and Cargil) is astounding and this gives a good sense of it.
I should also mention that there is another book that covers this story The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald. I have not read it, I did read the first couple pages on Amazon.com. It is written in a much more narrative style and seems to focus mostly on the actual investigation rather than the trial, which is a very interesting and tragic story. It seems to have sold more than Rats in the Grain, which isn't really anything to recommend it by, but does means something I suppose.
February 25, 2017
Read the Informant by Kurt Eichenwald before reading this book. Rats in the Grain is a nice companion piece to the more comprehensive story written by Eichenwald.
March 5, 2014
This book goes into a lot of detail. Chapter 7 is like a history book on Antitrust. I'm not a lawyer, but so far, it seems like the judge did an excellent job. She was thorough, considered everything, fair, and willing to work while the trial was not in session to be prepared for the next day.
August 26, 2012
True to life legal drama....but I still don't understand half of the legal terms
January 5, 2013
Interesting how corporate america works
January 3, 2013
slow and technical read but having worked through it made it interesting. i can say it is all true.
February 9, 2013
A tale of corruption and price fixing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews