Sam Zemurray is the man who popularized the banana, taking
it from the small marketplaces of the southern ports of America, all the way
into every grocery store in the nation. By the time Mr. Zemurray was through,
bananas were celebrated in song, and had become a staple of American cuisine. In
this unusual biography of both the man and the banana, author Rich Cohen has
given us both an education in the history of the banana in America, as well as
a chronicle of the United Fruit Company. This is a story of American
capitalism; in a business started by an immigrant; and the effects his success
had on those less fortunate than he in the countries from which he derived his
that good fortune. In a way, it is the tale of “Raggedy Dick the Shoeshine
Boy”; while in another sense it recalls “The Grapes of Wrath.”
From his most humble beginning as a fruit peddler, with one
cart of bananas, Mr. Zemurray rose to become a tycoon. Along the way he
wrestled with Unions, politicians, foreign governments, and even the CIA, as he
built an empire which proved capable of starting wars and influencing politics.
Just as my great grandfather Max Henkin, who hailed from
Russia; and is shown here next to a palm tree; Zemurray was fascinated with
this healthy and exotic fruit. In his own turn, the author does everything within
his power to convey this fascination to the reader.
Tracing Mr. Zemurray’s history and rise to fortune , the
author has taken a life which reads like a fairy tale, and strips away a bit of
the veneer, getting at the heart of what drove this man who became the “Banana
King”. He also manages to let us understand how he stayed at the top of his
industry for 40 years.Also of interest is the bit of education about the industry which the author manages to squeeze into the narrative. He ably explains the difference between a “stem”, which holds one hundred “bunches” of 9 “hands”; which in turn comprise 15 “fingers”, or bananas each. This called forth the image of stevedores in tropical ports unloading the bananas by hand; shouldering several hundred pounds at a time; with the danger of scorpions and spiders lurking within each bunch unloaded.
This book covers everything from bananas to foreign coups in
“banana republics, as well as corporate and labor disputes. This is a real life
tale worthy of a good screenplay; and your time will not be misspent in reading
Rich Cohen’s entertaining; and educational; biography of a highly unusual
individual.
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