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The Fish That Ate the Whale
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King | Rich Cohen
3 posts | 4 read | 2 to read
A legendary tale, both true and astonishing, from the author of Israel is Real and Sweet and LowWhen 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 example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures. In Latin America, when people shouted "Yankee, go home!" it was men like Zemurray they had in mind. Rich Cohen's brilliant historical profile The Fish That Ate the Whale unveils Zemurray as a hidden kingmaker and capitalist revolutionary, driven by an indomitable will to succeed. Known as El Amigo, the Gringo, or simply Z, the Banana Man lived one of the great untold stories of the last hundred years. 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. From hustling on the docks of New Orleans to overthrowing Central American governments, from feuding with Huey Long to working with the Dulles brothers, Zemurray emerges as an unforgettable figure, connected to the birth of modern American diplomacy, public relations, business, and wara monumental life that reads like a parable of the American dream.
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Well, I was halfway there finishing my #roll100 choices. All were good, none were great. I guess my favorite was the tagged, which is some interesting nonfiction about corporate takeover, corruption and coups associated with the banana industry and its one-time king. I bailed on The Birth of the Pill, a mood-reader moment.

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 11mo
BarbaraBB You bailed on Tornado Weather! Interesting. I think I liked it but I can‘t remember a thing as of now. 11mo
Megabooks @BarbaraBB no, I bailed on the birth of the pill. Tornado was definitely #GoodNotGreat. I think I gave it 3.25⭐️. 🤷🏻‍♀️ only remember parts already. 11mo
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miamorswife How do I get in on the next roll 100 11mo
Megabooks @PuddleJumper can you help out @miamorswife ?? Jo runs #roll100. 11mo
PuddleJumper @miamorswife Hi, I run #roll100 I can put you on the tag list for next month. Just make a list of 100 books you want to read. It's all very chill 11mo
PuddleJumper @Megabooks ❤️❤️ 11mo
miamorswife @PuddleJumper that would be amazing! Thanks 11mo
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MichaelK
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Leaves you thinking a lot about Zemurray - how do you define and label a man like that? Good? Evil? Not that simple.

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mynamerhymes
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????This is the story of Samuel Zemurray "America's Banana King." It was fascinating, with everything that a good adventure needs, including a rags to riches story, pirates, and intrigue. Zamurry's life was a roller coaster from beginning to end. In addition to the non-stop plot, the writing in this book was excellent. Cohen's exploration of the world of the early twentieth century and the complexities of his biography subject was fantastic.