The People's Tycoon

Henry Ford and the American Century

By: Steven Watts

Narrated by: John H. Mayer

Length: 29 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

How a Michigan farm boy became the richest man in America is a classic, almost mythic tale, but never before has Henry Ford’s outsized genius been brought to life so vividly as it is in this engaging and superbly researched biography.

The real Henry Ford was a tangle of contradictions. He set off the consumer revolution by producing a car affordable to the masses, all the while lamenting the moral toll exacted by consumerism. He believed in giving his workers a living wage, though he was entirely opposed to union labor. He had a warm and loving relationship with his wife, but sired a son with another woman. A rabid anti-Semite, he nonetheless embraced African American workers in the era of Jim Crow.

Uncovering the man behind the myth, situating his achievements and their attendant controversies firmly within the context of early 20th century America, Watts has given us a comprehensive, illuminating, and fascinating biography of one of America’s first mass-culture celebrities.

©2006 Steven Watts (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"The implicit claim of Watts's admirable book is almost inarguable that it's impossible to understand 20th-century America without knowing the story of Henry Ford." (The New York Times)

“Steven Watts attempts the most integrated understanding to date of Ford’s enormous influence and varied appeal...The fascinating result may change the way Henry Ford is remembered.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Ford has had many biographers...None, however, comes close to Steven Watts...He brilliantly reveals the nature of Ford's genius." (Chicago Tribune)

Great listen!

Not sure why some left poor reviews on this. I found it to be a great look into Henry Ford and his life. The story was a little hard to follow at times but overall a great listen.

An authoritative portrait of an intricate man

Steven Watts does an excellent job of revealing the numerous intricacies of this fascinating individual. Ford was an amazing force at the beginning of the last century that brought America and the world into the consumer age. He was far from perfect and had many failings. He was definitely human! A man whose life and times worthy of examination. A very worthwhile read!

Great and consistent use of different voices for different characters.

Author, though obviously liberal, tried hard to be balanced, both praising and bashing the protagonist.

Well Done Gentlemen!!

The information was painstakingly researched and written.. The reading was fantastic!! Captivating!! Well worth the time!!

Subjective and repetitive

As others have mentioned the author repeats or restates the same content for no apparent reason.

I was also surprised how often the author gave his interpretation of events and the use of what seem liked hearsay as fact.

I did enjoy the history of Ford overall but would probably steer clear of future works by this author.

Great Biography

Enjoyed the words of Henry Ford by the author. Written very well. I would recommend this to anyone.

Yes, worth it

The frequent foreshadowing was perhaps unnecessary as the narrative kept one moving along. I only blame myself for not realizing there wouldn’t be much history of the development of the other early cars after the initial model T innovations. I kept waiting for technical details. The narrative seemed to be awkwardly broken up into sections introducing characters after they had already played a major part in the story. Or it hinted at their future with the aforementioned foreshadowing.

The book is not is chronological and is repetitive.

I noticed that the author covered Ford's fight against the FDR's unconditional 'National Recovery Act' as if Ford was wrong, and his Ideas about how to 'Fix' the Hoover / Roosevelt "Great Depression" were loony. Even though what Ford recommend was what his, and other companies had done during the 1920 recession. That was not covered in the story at all, along with the Harding administration ending nearly all of Wilson's "War Socialism Programs", reducing size of the Federal government and it's spending allowed the US Capitolist Economy to fix itself in just a few months! and that lead to the 'Roaring Twenty's'. 3 stars are a bit high.

50% Longer than it needed to be.

I was interested in learning about the man who perhaps more than any other was instrumental in creating modern America. While the book provides a detailed and linear history the story is ponderous, repetitive and lacks any real drama.

The book does an excellent job pointing out Henry Ford's many contradictions and makes no effort to whitewash the unflattering elements of his life (his anti-semitism in particular).

John H. Mayer, the narrator does an effective job or leading you through the story.

GREAT Book!

Mentoring a to businessman! As a Black man, I appreciate Ford's contribution to our growth.