Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2012), Edition: 0, Hardcover, 288 pages
Description
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, banana hauler, dockside hustler, and plantation owner. He battled and conquered the United Fruit Company, becoming a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures. Starting with nothing but a cart of freckled bananas, he built a sprawling empire of banana cowboys, mercenary soldiers, Honduran peasants, CIA agents, and American statesmen.… (more)
Media reviews
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Great book! Samuel Zemurray is bigger than life, he was a quiet Jewish John Wayne from the Russian steppes who orchestrated coups, toppling nations and corporations. He was the last of a generation that "Never complain, Never explain." I'll never forget the scene of Zemurray taking over United
Show More
Fruit, slapping down on the boardroom table his proxy votes giving him control of the company and telling the Boston old line gentry they were fired. He was the fish that swallowed the whale. His life would make an epic movie on the scale of Citizen Kane or Howard Hughes, but even more adventuresome since it involved armed revolutions and private jungle fiefdoms. It's remarkable how little known Zemurray is, he had an outsize impact on the history of Central America, New Orleans and Israel. Cohen is a great writer a real pleasure to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member eembooks
Who knew there was so much to learn about bananas, The United Fruit Company, Central America and a fascinating man named Sam Zemurray. I loved this book.
LibraryThing member mtome
As I come from a country greatly influenced by banana plantations and often times referred to as a Banana Republic, I now see the two sides of the story the business side in the sense of enrichment but at what cost to a underdeveloped nation. Interesting how Zemurray´s good intentions did turn out
Show More
well, such as the Panamerican School in Zamorano and the fact that his daughter and grandsons focused on studying and writing about Mesoamerica. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King, Rich Cohen, author, Robertson Dean, narrator
This is the story of Sam Zemurray, A Russian Jew, originally from Maldova, who led the United Fruit Company for 25 years. He was born in 1877 and came to America in 1891 at the age
He got the idea for his banana business one night, while walking in New Orleans. As he describes the street he was standing on, it sounded like he could also have been on the Reeperbahn, in Hamburg Germany’s red light district of yore. From the moment he witnessed the sight of this magical fruit, called the banana, which has no growing season and produces fruit all year long, his life’s map was drawn. El Amigo was born. The Banana King’s history had begun in earnest. From the head of his successfully run business Cuyamel, he morphed into the man who controlled the largest banana business in the world, United Fruit.
His story includes the tragic history of the 20thcentury with the Depression and the Holocaust influencing many of his decisions. When the dream of a Jewish state was realized, it was with his help. He was influential in persuading many Latin American heads of state to agree to the creation of the Jewish state, and so he helped birth the state of Israel. Although as a Jew, he was not deeply rooted in the practice of Judaism, he was rooted in the idea of being a Jew. He had a hand in many events of the world, and in some ways, he was an unsung hero but on the opposite side he was an unsung villain. His business practices and influences on governments were often brutal with disastrous consequences.
When he wanted something, Zemurrary got it. He used legal and illegal, moral and immoral means to attain whatever he wanted. He dealt with the heads of multiple governments, not only his own, he made bargains with a heavy hand, was influential in overthrowing governments, most notably Honduras and Guatemala, one in defiance of the United States and one working in unison with them.
The names he was involved with are famous. He dealt with J. P. Morgan, Hunt, Pierrepont, Roosevelt and many other government and banking names that live on today. On the other side he was also involved with men who were tyrants or revolutionaries, like Che Guevara, Christmas, Castro and Chavez, among others.
His name was often synonymous with revolutions as well as commerce. He witnessed the birth of the banana business and the death of his influence in it. His life, like the business, ended on a downward trend, but his rise makes quite a story.
This is the story of Sam Zemurray, A Russian Jew, originally from Maldova, who led the United Fruit Company for 25 years. He was born in 1877 and came to America in 1891 at the age
Show More
of 14. When he arrived, he had nothing. When he died he had lived a life that took him to the very pinnacle of success and back down again to the bottom. At one time, he was one of the richest and most powerful men. He had influence with both the leaders of the United States and the leaders of foreign countries. His influence over the Latin American banana business was monumental. His influence over Latin America was widespread.He got the idea for his banana business one night, while walking in New Orleans. As he describes the street he was standing on, it sounded like he could also have been on the Reeperbahn, in Hamburg Germany’s red light district of yore. From the moment he witnessed the sight of this magical fruit, called the banana, which has no growing season and produces fruit all year long, his life’s map was drawn. El Amigo was born. The Banana King’s history had begun in earnest. From the head of his successfully run business Cuyamel, he morphed into the man who controlled the largest banana business in the world, United Fruit.
His story includes the tragic history of the 20thcentury with the Depression and the Holocaust influencing many of his decisions. When the dream of a Jewish state was realized, it was with his help. He was influential in persuading many Latin American heads of state to agree to the creation of the Jewish state, and so he helped birth the state of Israel. Although as a Jew, he was not deeply rooted in the practice of Judaism, he was rooted in the idea of being a Jew. He had a hand in many events of the world, and in some ways, he was an unsung hero but on the opposite side he was an unsung villain. His business practices and influences on governments were often brutal with disastrous consequences.
When he wanted something, Zemurrary got it. He used legal and illegal, moral and immoral means to attain whatever he wanted. He dealt with the heads of multiple governments, not only his own, he made bargains with a heavy hand, was influential in overthrowing governments, most notably Honduras and Guatemala, one in defiance of the United States and one working in unison with them.
The names he was involved with are famous. He dealt with J. P. Morgan, Hunt, Pierrepont, Roosevelt and many other government and banking names that live on today. On the other side he was also involved with men who were tyrants or revolutionaries, like Che Guevara, Christmas, Castro and Chavez, among others.
His name was often synonymous with revolutions as well as commerce. He witnessed the birth of the banana business and the death of his influence in it. His life, like the business, ended on a downward trend, but his rise makes quite a story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member briandarvell
This was a book I saw recommended by a few different bloggers I read so I thought, why not! Really a great story about a topic that I otherwise wouldn't have paid any attention to. Sam Zemurray was quite the character and I really enjoyed how the author tied in the general history of the American
Show More
Continent from the late-1800's to mid-1900's and how it was impacted by the Fruit Industry. A great gift of a book for anyone keen on nonfiction. I would definitely be interested in reading another of Rich Cohen's books. Show Less
Awards
Society of Midland Authors Award (Nominee — Biography — 2013)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Biography — 2012)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction — 2012)
Language
Pages
288
Original publication date
2012
ISBN
9780374299279