The Fish That Ate the Whale

The Life and Times of America's Banana King

By: Rich Cohen

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans 69 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.

©2012 Rich Cohen (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"This is popular history and biography at its best, making for an easy verdict: This book will appeal strongly to lay readers and scholars alike. Highly recommended to all." ( Library Journal)

"...it is nearly impossible to put the book down, and that's something you don't say about a lot of biographies - and especially biographies of businessmen. For anyone who enjoys a good life story, this one is an absolute must-read." ( Booklist)

A part of history everyone should know

One if the best books I've listened to in a long time. However knew bananas had such a colorful history.

Amazing and Super Interesting Book

This book is definitely worth listening to. I'm really glad I found it. Good book.

Fascinating listen!

Amazing how a person can have such influence over history coming from nothing. Great listen.

A Fascinating Connection of Dots

Growing up in a Caribbean family in a Caribbean neighborhood in the 50’s and ‘60’s in Brooklyn, New York, I felt a vague antipathy towards the United Fruit Company that I didn’t really understand. It was like a dirty word whose etymology remained a mystery. Similarly, in our home, Harry Belafonte’s “Day O” (“Come Mr. tally man, tally me banana”) had some special unexplained significance… something beyond its success on the pop charts and the sheer pleasure of the song. As a teenager, I read “Exodus” by Leon Uris and watched the movie.I glanced at the 1954 overthrow of Arbenz in Guatemala and watched the triumph of the Cuban Revolution unfold in the newspapers, on TV, and in the stories of my Cuban classmates and their families. Yet it was not until I read (listened to, actually) “The Fish That Ate the Whale” that all these things (and more) took on their interconnected significance and meaning. It’s a American “rags-to-riches” story about a penniless “Russian” Jew who immigrated to the USA, and took over a WASP corporation (United Fruit) which despised and rejected him, and at the same time it’s a saga about piracy, revolution, racism, neo-colonialism, the Cold War, Zionism, family, and the link between government and big business. It’s a well written page turner I highly recommend.

Incredible

I entered this book knowing so little about the banana industry. I’ve left it as if my whole education was in it

Fascinating history. A lot of questions

Would you listen to The Fish That Ate the Whale again? Why?

Being from South America, I had always been aware of the issues between the "Gringos" and the rest. However this book does a fantastic job, specially towards the end, of bringing these issues to light.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The voice

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It was great for a perfect afternoon drive

Brilliant, entertaining,

So worth my time, delivered way more than I expected. Please listen and appreciate human existence.

Must read!

This is the first book review I've ever left. This is my favorite book I've finished in at least the past year. Unbelievably interesting story and phenomenally well-written.

had know idea how great this book was going to be

You would think that a book about bananas and the global fruit business would be boring. It Is not at all, it is a snapshot into American history, American business and the American dream. I will tell you as I told all my friends, you must read this book!

Excellent

What a great listen. I found the story fascinating and the narration easy flowing. Definitely recommend.