The Fish That Ate the Whale

This spirited book introduces readers to Samuel Zemurray (1877–1961), known in his prime as "Sam the banana man." A Russian Jew who emigrated to Alabama in 1891, Zemurray eventually settled in New Orleans, where he grew to be head of the United Fruit Company. Known as the "octopus," United Fruit virtually ruled Central American republics in the first half of the 20th century, all because of banana exports. Cohen (contributing editor, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone; Sweet and Low: A Family Story) offers a lively biography of Sam and his empire, leaving the man and the company open to scrutiny and criticism while giving readers a remarkable profile of "a living, breathing, jungle-clearing, government-toppling banana man." Cohen also discusses bananas, their cultivation, gathering, shipping, sale, and consumption—a supply-and-demand success story for Zemurray and others like him. VERDICT This is popular history and biography at its best, making for an easy