The Fish That Ate The Whale: The Life And Times Of America's Banana King (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
2.75 stars.This is the story of very interesting character in American history, Sam Zemurray, a Jewish Russian immigrant who came to the US penniless and died one of the richest and most powerful men of the time, the rise of the banana empire and related politics between the US and Central America.While the history is interesting, the presentation needed editing. It felt like a lot of back and forth and with so many people and events being covered the story needed more cohesion than I felt it had. Some parts were incredibly interesting and some were boring. I listened to the audiobook and wouldn't recommend it because there were times when it became too difficult to follow all the nuances of the people and relations. The sentence, "Are you following this?" even appears in the book and in my head I had to frankly answer, "not really..." at that complicated moment! biography of Sam "the Banana King" Zemurray. Sam came to U.S. as a penniless Russian immigrant and made millions selling bananas, overthrew Central American governments, donated lots of $$ to Tulane University, ran United Fruit and lived long enough to see its decline. Of course, there is a New Orleans connection. (i.e.Sam's buried in Metairie Cemetery) This is where the term "banana republic" originated. Wonderful read for anyone interested in that part of the world's history or U.S. history or anyone who just wants a good read, something different. Highly recommend!
What do You think about The Fish That Ate The Whale: The Life And Times Of America's Banana King (2012)?
This wasn't a bad book; it was just me. Too tired while I was reading it, I suspect.
—piper
I had no idea bananas were so freighted with political intrigue!
—beejay247
