The Fish That Ate the Whale

The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King by Rich Cohen

With engaging prose and an engrossing story, Cohen lays out the page-turning life of Sam the Banana Man. He started life on a Russian wheat farm, immigrated to America, and became head of United Fruit during its biggest financial success and largest moral failures.

Cohen can tell a story like nothing else, and this is quite the story to tell. Sam Zemurray is the American dream made real, in the best and worst ways. I didn't know a lot about US involvement in Latin and South America via fruit companies beyond the term "Banana Republic" and it being super shady, and this really helped lay out a lot of what was going on. From the New Orleans docks to Panamanian banana plantations to Manhattan boardrooms, it was a book I could not put down. A perfect blend of fascinating subject and wonderful narrative voice. I have put several other books by Cohen on hold.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Nonfiction Monday: Start it Up!

Start It Up: The Complete Teen Business Guide to Turning Your Passions into Pay Kenrya Rankin

This book covers EVERYTHING teens need to know about starting their own business. Picking a business, writing a business plan, the legal stuff, balancing school + work + life, hiring employees, dealing with cranky customers, marketing, what to do with your business when you graduate high school, and even how to be a responsible corporate citizen.

There are sample forms, lots of examples from other teen entrepreneurs all in an easy-to-read and use format. This is so well done, I’d recommend it to adults wanting to start their own business. I mean, it even makes the insurance stuff sound interesting!

BUT. There are some serious copy-editing/design issues. Sentences start and when you turn the page, a new chapter begins and the sentence never ends. This happens more than once.

It’s such a shame, because this book could be truly excellent. It’s so useful and deserved so much better.

Despite the errors, I still recommend it. Just not as highly as I want to.

Today's Nonfiction Monday is over at Booktalking. Be sure to check it out!

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Raggin' Jazzin' Rockin'

Raggin' Jazzin' Rockin': A History of American Musical Instrument Makers Susan VanHecke

Instead of discussing the musicians that changed American music-- both classical and popular-- this book discusses those who created and made the instruments that would forever change the American sound. It starts with Avdeis Zildjian, a Turkish immigrant candymaker who, when the time came to inherit the family cymbal business brought it over the the US. In the US, he talked with drummers and musicians and created their dream cymbals-- special orders that are now the standards in any drum kit. We see Steinway-- a German immigrant fighting the notion that only European pianos were of quality and building a piano that is now thought to the best world wide. We learn the history of Conn brass instruments, Ludwig drums, Hammond electric organs, the Moog synthesizer, Martin acoustic guitars, and the Fender electrics.

It's an interesting and fascinating way to look at American music. In addition to music history, it's also business history-- how advertising and other activities affected business. One thing I found really interesting was how companies survived the Depression-- many innovations that brought instruments into our homes came out of a desire to survive those tough economic times. Also interesting was how many factories had to stop manufacturing instruments during WWII and during those years instead manufactured things for the war effort-- by order of the government.

Lots of pull-out boxes introduce readers to different instruments and the musicians and musical styles that made them famous.

My only complaint is that each chapter stands alone, even though in later years many of these companies merged or had their paths intertwine in other ways, but this really isn't discussed, which I think would have been interesting either within the existing chapters or by adding something onto the end that talks about how and why these things happened.

Overall though, I found it well-designed, and fascinating.


Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.