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The Fish That Ate the Whale
- The Life and Times of America's Banana King
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 08-01-12
- Language: English
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $34.99
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Guide for a U.S. National Energy Policy.
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An innovative entrepreneur, outspoken nonconformist, and groundbreaking philanthropist, Ted Turner is truly a living legend, and now, for the first time, he reveals his personal story. From his difficult childhood to the successful launch of his media empire to the catastrophic AOL/Time Warner deal, Turner spares no details or feelings and takes the reader along on a wild and sometimes bumpy ride.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Under-hyped
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Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people - and their associates - built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere 20 years. Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor, and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Long Commercial For How Great Home Depot Is
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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.
Critic Reviews
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Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars577
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4 Stars189
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3 Stars43
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2 Stars11
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1 Stars3
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars534
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4 Stars148
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3 Stars36
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1 Stars3
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars526
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4 Stars147
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3 Stars38
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2 Stars9
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1 Stars3
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mikemccann3
- 08-11-17
Incredible story about the banana man
The story of Sam Zemurray was fascinating. I had no idea who he was until I heard about this book when it was recommended to me. Amazing tale of how he got started, his hustle, his demise, and the entire build up of the banana industry.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Love To Learn
- 07-12-17
Epic
Amazing story and author. Combines a Hollywood story with inspiring business lessons and interesting history.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison Willette
- 07-10-17
a whale of a story
one of the best agricultural history books I have listened to. I'm glad that the author didn't try to make Zamarie out to be a hero. he did a great job of being able to show both sides of the coin. the narrator was clear and took good pauses. I was surprised buy how interesting the narrator was able to make this book. I probably could have sat all the way through it in one sitting if I'd had the time. It was that good.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean
- 06-13-16
Fun business and history.
Fun mix of business and history. The author treats the history with truth and humor. He presents all the information well and explains any biases he may have. Who knew a banana company could have such a torrid background?
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Justin & Lindsay
- 06-09-16
Great lessons in this book
What a great book with so many hidden lessons I recommend it for sure thanks
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Brad Huebner
- 08-18-18
A difficult book to read
I had a really hard time keeping up with the storyline because of the authors writing style.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- peter metsch
- 08-06-18
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!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- JayVL
- 01-14-18
author sounds like a pretentious asshole
Great story of an incredible life. lots of great history included. the author added in too many personal notes though. Dude, shut up about yourself and tell the story
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-12-18
great book of a great life!
inspiring and good to know of how business was done in the old days as not much has changed except perhaps forms of communtniation to an extent
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ryan
- 01-05-18
Super Interesting Worth the Buy!
Admittedly prior to getting this download, all I knew of Sam “The Banana Man” was what I saw on Drunk History. As a resident of New Orleans I found it beyond intriguing...all the stories/historical events that spawned from the Business almost seems unreal. Cannot recommend high enough!