Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from March 26

If April showers bring May flowers, what do March rainstorms foretell? Anyway, many thanks to the eleven people, umbrellas in hand, who attended the book discussion last night. Their presence, as always, was much appreciated.

Our book last night was A Disposition to be Rich: how a small-town pastor’s son ruined an American president, brought on a Wall Street crash, and made himself the best-hated man in the United States by Geoffrey C. Ward (Ferd Ward’s actual great-grandson.) Ferdinand Ward was the Bernie Madoff of his day, a supposed genius at making big money on Wall Street who turned out to have been running a giant pyramid scheme. Ward was the son of missionaries and was raised in a strict Christian household. He enticed former president Ulysses S. Grant to lend his name to his firm, took his money and, ultimately, ruined him. Mark Twain thought that Ward was responsible for Grant’s death. Ward was equally ruthless in his relations with his wife, his only son, and his friends. He served time in prison and died alone and without money. Our discussion was wide ranging and lively, covering missionaries, the influence parents do or do not have on their children, financial scandals, investments, honesty, honor, morality, how eager people are to be duped and much more. The book and the evening were both very satisfying.

Our next meeting will be on April 23, 2015. The book to be discussed, The Dreyfus Affair: the scandal that tore France in Two by Piers Paul Reid, is available at the Circulation Desk. All are welcome.