Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
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- Author：Ron Chernow
- ISBN：1400077303
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Summary
John D。 Rockefeller， Sr。--history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty--is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians。 Now Ron Chernow， the National Book Award-winning biographer of the Morgan and Warburg banking families， gives us a history of the mogul "etched with uncommon objectivity and literary grace 。 。 。 as detailed， balanced， and psychologically insightful a portrait of the tycoon as we may ever have" （Kirkus Reviews）。 Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers。 A landmark publication full of startling revelations， the book will indelibly alter our image of this most enigmatic capitalist。
Born the son of a flamboyant， bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious， straitlaced mother， Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly， Standard Oil。 Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers， the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America。
Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history。 Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads， predatory pricing， industrial espionage， and wholesale bribery of political officials。 The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay。
While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds， Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky， eccentric original。 A devout Baptist and temperance advocate， Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation， the University of Chicago， and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him。 Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating， complex man， synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals， tragedies， and misfortunes that have never before come to light。
John D。 Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history， documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation。 With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer， William Randolph Hearst， Jay Gould， William Vanderbilt， Ida Tarbell， Andrew Carnegie， Carl Jung， J。 Pierpont Morgan， William James， Henry Clay Frick， Mark Twain， and Will Rogers， Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries。 It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep， drama， and insight that this giant subject deserves。
From the Hardcover edition。
Born the son of a flamboyant， bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious， straitlaced mother， Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly， Standard Oil。 Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers， the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America。
Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history。 Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads， predatory pricing， industrial espionage， and wholesale bribery of political officials。 The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay。
While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds， Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky， eccentric original。 A devout Baptist and temperance advocate， Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation， the University of Chicago， and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him。 Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating， complex man， synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals， tragedies， and misfortunes that have never before come to light。
John D。 Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history， documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation。 With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer， William Randolph Hearst， Jay Gould， William Vanderbilt， Ida Tarbell， Andrew Carnegie， Carl Jung， J。 Pierpont Morgan， William James， Henry Clay Frick， Mark Twain， and Will Rogers， Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries。 It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep， drama， and insight that this giant subject deserves。
From the Hardcover edition。
Reviews
anonymousreader
，
to-read
John Bravenec
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Exhaustively researched and detailed portrait of Rockefeller。 It's also quite long， to the point where the effort to finish rivals Infinite Jest。 Exhaustively researched and detailed portrait of Rockefeller。 It's also quite long， to the point where the effort to finish rivals Infinite Jest。 。。。more
Brandon Makowski
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A little dry but a thoroughly researched work on the life of Rockefeller。
Derry Murphy
，
I enjoyed this book。 JD was a fascinating character。 Being Irish I didn’t know much about this business tycoon。 The book rolls along very nicely。 I didn’t expect it to retain my attention as much as it did。 It is long， about a rich guy who died also 100 years ago but the author did a great job of interweaving the business， personal and religious aspects of this fascinating individual。 I would recommend this book。
Scott Ingram
，
Really long， but awesome。 The beginning/come up is great and the author is insanely in depth （Chernow is a legend）。
Ben Jones
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1-10 Takeaways:1） Some personal practices that helped Rockefeller become incredibly wealthy: 1。1） Rockefeller believed that God wanted him to become wealthy so he could build the kingdom。 1。2） Once Rockefeller saw an employee as a person of character， he would delegate tremendous amounts of responsibility to them and leave them to their own devices。 1。3） "I would rather be my own tyrant than let someone else tyrannize me。" Rockefeller practiced extreme self control。 1-10 Questions: 1） NA 1-10 Takeaways:1） Some personal practices that helped Rockefeller become incredibly wealthy: 1。1） Rockefeller believed that God wanted him to become wealthy so he could build the kingdom。 1。2） Once Rockefeller saw an employee as a person of character， he would delegate tremendous amounts of responsibility to them and leave them to their own devices。 1。3） "I would rather be my own tyrant than let someone else tyrannize me。" Rockefeller practiced extreme self control。 1-10 Questions: 1） NA 。。。more
David DeRienzo
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Fascinating glimpse into the beginnings of American energy and the man who helped make it happen。 Kept me engaged and interested throughout。
Steve
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Thorough and beautifully written。 Rockefeller was a Much more complicated person than I thought he would be。
Petru Trimbitas
，
Great personality， but the book is a little chaotic While the story is great， I didn't like the fact that the events are not always related in chronological order Great personality， but the book is a little chaotic While the story is great， I didn't like the fact that the events are not always related in chronological order 。。。more
Laramie White
，
Chernow writes the best biographies。 This is my third and it didn’t disappoint。 They are daunting at the start but worth it。 I find myself finding other historical non-fictions to be lacking details that Chernow doesn’t leave out。 Rockefeller was a controversial American figure but like other Chernow books you find yourself admiring the subject at the end。 This was the case with John D。
Andrew Canfield
，
Titan is one of historian Ron Chernow’s earlier biographical works， but it is packed with the exceptional level of detail readers have come to expect from his offerings。 Chernow plays things even handed throughout much of Titan， laying out in excruciating detail John D。 Rockefeller’s scaling of the corporation consolidation ladder。 This ascension began in the immediate post-Civil War North， and along the way John D。 is shown to be a believer not in competition but “cooperation” among business en Titan is one of historian Ron Chernow’s earlier biographical works， but it is packed with the exceptional level of detail readers have come to expect from his offerings。 Chernow plays things even handed throughout much of Titan， laying out in excruciating detail John D。 Rockefeller’s scaling of the corporation consolidation ladder。 This ascension began in the immediate post-Civil War North， and along the way John D。 is shown to be a believer not in competition but “cooperation” among business entities。 Much of what he accomplished is used as an illustration of how unrestrained capitalism can rival excessive state control when it comes to stifling free markets。 Chernow does not go out of his way to take cheap shots or paint Standard Oil as a villain， but the book makes the unavoidable point of what it was like for American business titans to operate in a new world where the macroeconomic rules were still being laid out。 Whether or not kerosene and oil would have been made affordable and widely available anyways absent the schemes employed by Rockefeller is a question the book does not set out to answer， but it does something equally as valuable。 Titan does set out to paint a portrait of one of the world’s richest men and doubles as the holding up of a mirror for the purposes of viewing a rapidly changing economic and social landscape。 As one might expect， Rockefeller’s lieutenants at the trust play a large role in the book。 John Archbold functions as a hard nosed negotiator who did a lot of the dirty work during Standard Oil’s rise to the top of the economic heap。 Henry Flagler is featured alongside Archbold as a man willing to practice brass knuckled business tactics to help his boss attain a near monopoly on American oil。 Prominent among the methods used to attain this market choke hold were the weapons of railroad rebates to favored carriers and a willingness to undersell competitors owing to an ability to spend time in the red thanks to exorbitant fossil fuel profits which had already been banked。 Much of what was done was not necessarily illegal in nineteenth century America， but Chernow makes clear that Standard Oil’s tactics created a case study for state and federal regulators trying to figure out how to keep the national economy competitive for medium and smaller businesses。Aside from Rockefeller Junior’s role in Titan’s second half， Senior’s family members are by and large absent from the day to day business of running Standard Oil。 Junior， as he is called， is presented as more tolerant toward labor and guided by a better feel for public relations than his father， a change that was necessitated by the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado and a slew of strikes which served to highlight the discord between American capital and labor。 Junior eventually softened the family’s image: he helped to start up Rockefeller Center， took an interest in environmental conservation in the 1920s， and underwrote the rebuilding of colonial Williamsburg in Virginia。 Two of Junior and Abby’s sons （Winthrop and Nelson） would become active in politics， serving as everything from governor （of Arkansas and New York） to U。S。 Senator and even vice-president。Rockefeller’s daughter Edith was a family member willing to blaze her own path。 After marrying Henry McCormick （of the harvester industrial family fortune）， the pair moved to Europe and became disciples of Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung。 Rockefeller’s inability to come to terms with what drew them to this guru composed a fascinating non-business portion of the book。 John D。 spent most of his life estranged from his father。 William “Bill” Rockefeller actually committed bigamy， essentially keeping a secret second wife and spending his time traversing the Midwest posing as a physician after he distanced from his first wife （and John’s mother） Eliza。 That John’s father was a quack， unlicensed “doctor” who peddled fake remedies and embarrassed his son will come across as ironic to most readers。His wife Cettie plays a peripheral role， but it redounds to his credit that he remained a loyal husband to her even during mounting health problems later in life。 Their dedication to the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church in Cleveland underscored just how dedicated Rockefeller was to his Christian faith。 Rockefeller’s religious devotion was something his detractors could not deny but nonetheless were more than willing to ding him with when it came to contrasts with his ruthless business practices。 Rockefeller was a frequent target of the muckraking press， and he held Ida Tarbell of McClure’s-who composed a book detailing his predations-in especially low esteem。 He unleashed his vitriol regarding Tarbell to William O。 Inglis， who was tasked with sitting down with Senior later in his life for interviews which would help compose an official biography。 A lot of Rockefeller’s gain in wealth actually came after his 1895 retirement from Standard Oil， a time when he had what seemed to be a largely ceremonial “presidential” title while others manned the ship。 Following the 1911 court decision which dismembered the company， his family’s wealth continued to explode: the splitting up of Standard Oil into smaller firms and the subsequent gain from their shares increased the Rockefeller nest egg。 Nearly fifty percent of Titan is set in the years after his retirement， as Chernow does wonderful work informing readers of numerous private and public aspects of the Rockefellers’ lives。The philanthropy undertaken by Rockefeller cuts against the grain of a lot of the public’s perception about him。 Chernow allows minds to be made up about this by， once again， just presenting the facts。 He even appointed a full-time director of charitable giving， Frederick T。 Gates， to make sure the dollars went to worthy causes which advanced the cause of the human condition。 Many people felt he did this to assuage guilt over the robber baron status he had attained during the latter part of the twentieth century， while many others viewed it as a genuine effort to better the world。 His interest in homeopathy at the same time as his foundations provided vital funding for cutting edge medical research was an interesting clash， one of many for a man of numerous contrasts。 It becomes even more of an irony when readers consider that Bill Rockefeller made something of a career out of peddling quack medical cures on unsuspecting Midwesterners。The good that was done in funding research in vaccines and various medical breakthroughs took place once Rockefeller realized that field would be the least controversial field he could put his organization’s philanthropic dollars at work in。 He also had an interest in funding schools for African-American children and all but got the University of Chicago off the ground courtesy of his treasure chest of funds。 In addition to this， the General Education Board did top notch work advancing the cause of knowledge in the United States。 As he did in his superb biography on George Washington， Chernow gives a detailed accounting of Rockefeller’s residence（s） and gives readers a feel for their dimensions and utility。 Kykuit， the Rockefeller getaway home in the Pocantico Hills of New York， was one residence mentioned often in the book。 The Casements at Ormond Beach in Florida was a southern getaway home Senior purchased for the family after his retirement， and Chernow takes special care to make mentions of this Sunshine State complex as well。The small anecdotes and obvious care taken for accuracy are some of the defining characteristics of Chernow’s books， and Titan ranks up there with Hamilton， Grant， The Warburgs， and Washington: A Life as an example of his commitment to historical accuracy。 -Andrew Canfield Denver， Colorado 。。。more
Finn Mokrzycki
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This is the best biography I ever read。 I did not realize how interesting Rockefeller was and it was well written。 Love Ron Chernow！
Micah
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If you like history， this book is a very interesting look into the U。S。 industrial revolution and oil production。 If you don’t like history， I would steer clear。 Even as someone who likes history， I found the book a bit dry and tedious。 Chernow is very thorough and detailed， which lends to a very well-researched biography of John D。 Rockefeller， but at times the vignettes about peripheral characters or side-stories can drag on too long。 I also found it hard to relate to the man Rockefeller was， If you like history， this book is a very interesting look into the U。S。 industrial revolution and oil production。 If you don’t like history， I would steer clear。 Even as someone who likes history， I found the book a bit dry and tedious。 Chernow is very thorough and detailed， which lends to a very well-researched biography of John D。 Rockefeller， but at times the vignettes about peripheral characters or side-stories can drag on too long。 I also found it hard to relate to the man Rockefeller was， a billionaire and tycoon。 He was generous with his wealth and dedicated to the endeavors he pursued， but had some major character flaws that created not only economic and social issues， but also familial issues that lasted for generations。 Chernow does a really good job describing the good and bad traits of Rockefeller， Sr。， while remaining quite neutral。 Maybe I’ll try “Hamilton” next… 。。。more
Preston
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This was a surprisingly fun and well written listen （audiobook）， though I didn't really have any expectations going in。 It's a broad look at the life of Rockefeller and covers a lot of ground。 I think it's an interesting read from a variety of different perspectives。 I wouldn't recommend the book for everyone， but if you think you might enjoy it， you probably will。 This was a surprisingly fun and well written listen （audiobook）， though I didn't really have any expectations going in。 It's a broad look at the life of Rockefeller and covers a lot of ground。 I think it's an interesting read from a variety of different perspectives。 I wouldn't recommend the book for everyone， but if you think you might enjoy it， you probably will。 。。。more
Holden
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3。5
Cody Hagemeier
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An incredible account and analysis of the life and character of John D。 Rockefeller Sr。， arguably the greatest businessman and philanthropist that ever lived。While his rigid and conscientious adherence to arbitrary principles of frugality and precision allowed him to ride the post-war capitalist boom of the Gilded Age to the very top of the economic hierarchy， it was this same narrowness and sanctimony that I found to be ultimately undesirable in spite of such extraordinary material success。Neve An incredible account and analysis of the life and character of John D。 Rockefeller Sr。， arguably the greatest businessman and philanthropist that ever lived。While his rigid and conscientious adherence to arbitrary principles of frugality and precision allowed him to ride the post-war capitalist boom of the Gilded Age to the very top of the economic hierarchy， it was this same narrowness and sanctimony that I found to be ultimately undesirable in spite of such extraordinary material success。Nevertheless， John D。 Rockefeller Sr。 exhibited a disciplined tenacity that was admirable even to his critics。 I highly recommend this brilliant biography by the talented Ron Chernow。 。。。more
Conor Flynn
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Notes:-People are a product of their environment。-Organizations （e。g。 church） can make people better， "form" them。-Religion can legitimate capitalist greed。-People succeed doing what they love （-> working long hours）。-Capitalists are ascetics in a way: to accumulate money it is best not to want to spend it。 The exceptionally wealthy love money for its own sake rather than for what it can buy。 Notes:-People are a product of their environment。-Organizations （e。g。 church） can make people better， "form" them。-Religion can legitimate capitalist greed。-People succeed doing what they love （-> working long hours）。-Capitalists are ascetics in a way: to accumulate money it is best not to want to spend it。 The exceptionally wealthy love money for its own sake rather than for what it can buy。 。。。more
Chris Haley
，
As much as I appreciate Chernow's commitment to providing a comprehensive portrait of his subjects， his tendency to dive into the details about such a wide-ranging set of people and events can be exhausting。 A much shorter book could have done the job just as well。 As much as I appreciate Chernow's commitment to providing a comprehensive portrait of his subjects， his tendency to dive into the details about such a wide-ranging set of people and events can be exhausting。 A much shorter book could have done the job just as well。 。。。more
Paul Taske
，
As usual， Chernow’s biography of Rockefeller is stunning。 His style is magnificent。 Chernow does more than recount the events of his subjects’ lives; rather， he paints a full picture of their lives， the cultural and political movements shaping their environment， and interweaves helpful comparisons and contrasts to other notable figures of the day。 What I think is， perhaps， the most engaging aspect of the book is that it covers subjects and time-periods often glossed over in history classes。 The As usual， Chernow’s biography of Rockefeller is stunning。 His style is magnificent。 Chernow does more than recount the events of his subjects’ lives; rather， he paints a full picture of their lives， the cultural and political movements shaping their environment， and interweaves helpful comparisons and contrasts to other notable figures of the day。 What I think is， perhaps， the most engaging aspect of the book is that it covers subjects and time-periods often glossed over in history classes。 The “gilded age” is usually covered from a political perspective—antitrust legislation， a shift from agriculture to industry， corruption， etc。—but rarely do we pay attention to those giants of industry who generated the tremendous wealth of the era。 In his biography Chernow gives us a rich perspective on one such man—John D。 Rockefeller Sr—whose business enterprises vaulted the country forward。 Chernow， as he has with Hamilton， Washington， and Grant， does not shy away from the scandal， contradiction， and intrigue surrounding Rockefeller’s life。 One interesting through line Chernow highlights throughout is the constant tension/contradictions between Rockefeller’s strict adherence to biblical teachings and his immense interest in worldly possessions among others。 “Titan” is definitely my second-favorite of Chernow’s works。 Hamilton still retains the top spot given the time period and ideological nature of Hamilton’s undertakings。 But that is by no means a slight to this work （or Chernow’s other works for that matter）。 I highly recommend Titan to anyone interested in the so-called “Robber Barrons。” 。。。more
Marco Grobbelaar
，
Audible audio book done。 John D。 Rockefeller， Sr。 was an exceptional man。 Philanthropist of note with rock-solid values， religion， business ethics and routine。 Many critics and negative publicity against him， he still did more good in this world than the evil that wealth and riches more often bring。He built an empire from nothing， fully loved what he did and brought up a family that he could be proud of。 He also talks highly of his business relationships and importance thereof。 It's a very long Audible audio book done。 John D。 Rockefeller， Sr。 was an exceptional man。 Philanthropist of note with rock-solid values， religion， business ethics and routine。 Many critics and negative publicity against him， he still did more good in this world than the evil that wealth and riches more often bring。He built an empire from nothing， fully loved what he did and brought up a family that he could be proud of。 He also talks highly of his business relationships and importance thereof。 It's a very long and slow book， but I'm astonished by the amount of detail that went into this autobiography and how the author managed to accurately quote and get so much info dating back over a century about his life， upbringing， business ventures and challenges he took on。 。。。more
Daniel
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BW
Dominique
，
Aside from the very creepy cover that makes John Rockefeller look like a serial killer （seriously， compare the cover of Titan to the first edition cover of The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story and tell me that isn't basically the same cover）， this is a very solid biography of John D。 Rockefeller。 I came away from the reading experience learning quite a lot about the life and times of John D。 Rockefeller。 I found the early portions of the book far more interesting as Rock Aside from the very creepy cover that makes John Rockefeller look like a serial killer （seriously， compare the cover of Titan to the first edition cover of The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story and tell me that isn't basically the same cover）， this is a very solid biography of John D。 Rockefeller。 I came away from the reading experience learning quite a lot about the life and times of John D。 Rockefeller。 I found the early portions of the book far more interesting as Rockefeller's father is quite the character。 The portions of the book discussing Rockefeller's later years and his children I found could be a bit repetitive and boring at times。I do like the formal style Chernow writes in， along with his asides contextualizing the era for the readers。 His biographies are always long and detailed but are quite the accomplishment once finished。 。。。more
Elsa K
，
Wow， if you want to know everything and I mean everything there is about John D。 Rockefeller than this is the book for you。 This is my second Ron Chernow book （the first I read was about General Grant） and it was just too much for me。 It was very interesting- I loved wondering about how he seemed to be this devout Christian man while also doing some very shady business dealing。 I also grew up in Cleveland， so I especially liked learning what Cleveland was like in that time period。 But the Cherno Wow， if you want to know everything and I mean everything there is about John D。 Rockefeller than this is the book for you。 This is my second Ron Chernow book （the first I read was about General Grant） and it was just too much for me。 It was very interesting- I loved wondering about how he seemed to be this devout Christian man while also doing some very shady business dealing。 I also grew up in Cleveland， so I especially liked learning what Cleveland was like in that time period。 But the Chernow books grow tedious for me。 I listened on audio， so I don't think I absorbed as much as I could've。 I think I would've been satisfied with a book half as long。 But I still overly enjoyed it， he was definitely a fascinating man！ 。。。more
Kay Glad
，
Admittedly， I knew nothing about Rockefeller about this personally before I started other than he was a robber baron， he created Standard Oil， and he became the richest man in America at the time。 This biography was at least a flattering and humanizing tale of a。。。 extremely prudent family that displayed too much virtue to a fault and no introspection at all。 He was shrewd， that's for sure， and he did love his children。 It's a shame he gave them all anxiety complexes because of his tight-fisted Admittedly， I knew nothing about Rockefeller about this personally before I started other than he was a robber baron， he created Standard Oil， and he became the richest man in America at the time。 This biography was at least a flattering and humanizing tale of a。。。 extremely prudent family that displayed too much virtue to a fault and no introspection at all。 He was shrewd， that's for sure， and he did love his children。 It's a shame he gave them all anxiety complexes because of his tight-fisted accounting， austerity， and temperance issues。 Very cool that he was the one who created Spelman College， and his philanthropy was prodigious。 Goes to show that he was more multifaceted in his life than his critics made him out to be。 。。。more
Jessica Disman
，
Ron Chernow knows a good story when he sees one。 He's an excellent writer and his non fiction reads like a novel。 Ron Chernow knows a good story when he sees one。 He's an excellent writer and his non fiction reads like a novel。 。。。more
Joe Rodeck
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While I enjoyed the rise of the oil industry and contradictions of the devout Christian vs the ruthless businessman， too much time is spent on the lives of， in actuality， not particularly interesting people。 Serious business majors will find it more worth the while。
Bru
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Meticulousness， relentless， and cleanliness personified
Samantha Sipper
，
Sometimes I like to read a string of books that have a common theme。 For the year 2021， I have chosen to read about the men who built America。 I took this idea from the History Channel's four-part miniseries and felt it was a good time to learn more about our nation's history of capitalism。 In my opinion， the book's author， Ron Chernow， has written a thorough and relatively unbiased biography。 Rockefeller's life is presented in great detail， and I really admire the effort it took to research and Sometimes I like to read a string of books that have a common theme。 For the year 2021， I have chosen to read about the men who built America。 I took this idea from the History Channel's four-part miniseries and felt it was a good time to learn more about our nation's history of capitalism。 In my opinion， the book's author， Ron Chernow， has written a thorough and relatively unbiased biography。 Rockefeller's life is presented in great detail， and I really admire the effort it took to research and present information on a man who lived at the turn of the 19th century。 Concerning the subject， like most people， Rockefeller had contradictions in his personality。 He was a deeply religious man who lacked the flamboyance and flashiness often seen in the wealthy。 Despite this， he was viewed by most people as ruthless and rapacious， especially in business， even though he gave away millions of dollars in his philanthropic efforts。 As Rockefeller aged and eventually retired， his priorities changed， which allowed another side of his personality to emerge。 He took interest in other things but remained vigilant when it came to his fortune。 Most importantly， he left an enduring legacy as Standard Oil gave rise to the companies we all know today - Exxon， Mobil， Chevron， Amoco， and Conoco。 In summary， this book is a long， but engaging read that is well worth the time it takes to read it。 。。。more
Dylan
，
An elusive labyrinth of the most mysterious yet prolific character in American history。 It was a true masterpiece of his life that had a deep separation of church and state in the matters of his own life。 Though the novel dives into the most epic and telling detail， Ron Chernow did a marvelous job reciting the story of the most criticized and idolized man in American Business。 Pure greatest， no words can describe the amount of effort that it took to write this behemoth of a manuscript。
Pat
，