Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from July 25th

Just the Facts meets every month regardless of snow, rain, extreme heat or last night’s October in July weather. Many thanks, as always, to the sixteen people who attended the meeting last night.

The book discussed last night was The Fish That Ate the Whale: the life and times of America’s banana king by Rich Cohen. It is the story of Samuel Zemurray, a penniless Russian-Jewish immigrant who came to America at age fourteen in 1891 and, when he died sixty-nine years later, was one of the richest and most powerful men in the United States. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, a banana jobber and importer, plantation and shipping owner and then took on and conquered United Fruit, the first multi-national corporation. He also overthrew established Central American governments, endowed Tulane University, inspired Che Guevara, might have been involved in the assassination of Huey Long and helped to establish the State of Israel. He was a symbol of both the best and worst of America. Our discussion was animated and provocative, covering morality, colonization, imperialism, the Cold War, the roles of government and corporations in world affairs, the C.I.A. and much more. It was an entertaining and stimulating evening.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, August 22, 2013. The book to be discussed, Birdseye: the adventures of a curious man by Mark Kurlansky, is available for pick-up at the Circulation Desk. All are welcome.