The fish that ate the whale
by Rich Cohen · first published 2012
86% recommend14% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Fast-paced, narrative nonfiction about Sam Zemurray and the United Fruit Company, told as a rags-to-riches story; suits readers who enjoy business and political history and want a gripping read.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, banana hauler, dockside hustler, and plantation owner. He battled and conquered the United Fruit Company, becoming a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures. Starting with not
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The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning, Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox. Also Teddy Roosevelt's…
on “Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?” ↗You should read “The Fish that Ate the Whale“ by Richard Cohen. The American government did insane things in Central and South America for/on behalf of the banana industry.
on “Invade Haiti, Wall Street Urged. The U.S. Obliged” ↗The book The Fish That Ate the Whale was a pretty good read about all that. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250033314/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1...
on “Why is chicken so cheap? [video]” ↗Huh, hadn't considered this. But it absolutely makes sense. United Fruit Co. used to be larger than Google in today-dollars. "The Fish That Ate the Whale" by: Rich Cohen is a phenomenal read.
on “Patio11's Law: The software economy is bigger than you think” ↗United Fruit/Chiquita had a roller coaster of a beginning in the early days and I highly recommend the book The Fish That Ate The Whale about Sam “the Banana Man” Zemurray if you’re interested in reading about the truly wild story. Fair warning: it starts off a bit dry with background about bananas and how they’re cultivated (interesting,…
on “The Rise and Fall of Planet Hollywood” ↗…Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2572756e-ab98-4376-94be-... -Barbie & Ruth by Robin Gerber: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/69d6197f-f9dd-465f-bc3a-... -The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (Starts slow but the story is wild.): https://app.thestorygraph.com/browse?button=&search_term=fis... Fiction: -The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/abd1c172-fbba-469d-a99c-...…
on “Ask HN: Books about people who persevered when no one else believed in them?” ↗The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen is a great book about the banana industry and government
on “Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores” ↗I can recommend “The Fish that Ate the Whale” [1] — this race against time for bananas is a tale told over many different phases of shipping. [1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13166586-the-fish-that-a...
on ““Logistics”, an 857-hour movie, tracks a pedometer from shop back to factory” ↗The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen. As a person who hadn't finished a book in years, hadn't felt excited by a book, this reminded me of what it felt like to not be able to put a book down. It is non-fiction but written as…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗Banana industry basically had America destroying democracies in S America so we could access their resources. United Fruit. Great book about it The Fish that Ate the Whale. https://www.amazon.com/Fish-That-Ate-Whale-Americas/dp/12500...
on “50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Paid Scientists to Point Blame at Fat (2016)” ↗…this, but in fact am not. Very nice of Chris to include me in his list. Though I will say that this list is missing a few good books: 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing 48 Laws of Power Antifragile The Fish That Ate the Whale Wikinomics Contagious The Pirate's Dilemma and I think PG's book of essays is worth reading for any founder as well
on “A Startup Reading List” ↗…interested in learning more about bananas, overthrowing governments and installing puppet dictators (before it was cool!) told in a true fast-paced rags-to-riches tale I highly recommend the book: "The Fish That Ate the Whale". So, so good.
on “How the global banana industry is killing the world’s favorite fruit” ↗This isn’t a “knee jerk reaction” for Honduras. It’s literally their entire modern history: foreign “investors” showing up and taking their land. You should read the Fish that Ate the Whale. Honduras has a long history of being exploited. I can’t blame them at all for opposing this.
on “Honduras Is Not For Sale (2021)” ↗If you want an additional layer of humor, read The Fish that Ate the Whale. I believe there is still a 'United Fruit' building somewhere in New Orleans.
on “Shrinking Mississippi River Puts American Farm Trade at Risks” ↗The history of the United Fruit Company is covered in detail in the book "The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King". It details how Samuel Zemurray rose from poor fruit peddlar, to one of the most powerful men in the world. It is an interesting read.
on “The Myth of Bananaland” ↗