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The People's Tycoon

Henry Ford and the American Century

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The People's Tycoon

By: Steven Watts
Narrated by: John H. Mayer
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About this listen

 How a Michigan farm boy became the richest man in America is a classic, almost mythic tale, but never before has Henry Ford’s outsized genius been brought to life so vividly as it is in this engaging and superbly researched biography. The real Henry Ford was a tangle of contradictions. He set off the consumer revolution by producing a car affordable to the masses, all the while lamenting the moral toll exacted by consumerism. He believed in giving his workers a living wage, though he was entirely opposed to union labor. He had a warm and loving relationship with his wife, but sired a son with another woman. A rabid anti-Semite, he nonetheless embraced African American workers in the era of Jim Crow. Uncovering the man behind the myth, situating his achievements and their attendant controversies firmly within the context of early twentieth-century America, Watts has given us a comprehensive, illuminating, and fascinating biography of one of America’s first mass-culture celebrities.©2006 Steven Watts; (P)2008 Books on Tape Business Engineering Historical Professionals & Academics Capitalism Socialism Biography

Critic reviews

“The implicit claim of Watts’s admirable book is almost inarguable–that it’s impossible to understand 20th-century America without knowing the story of Henry Ford.” –The New York Times“Ford has had many biographers. . . . None, however, comes close to Steven Watts. . . . He brilliantly reveals the nature of Ford’s genius.” –Chicago Tribune“Steven Watts attempts the most integrated understanding to date of Ford’s enormous influence and varied appeal. . . . The fascinating result may change the way Henry Ford is remembered.” –San Francisco Chronicle
All stars
Most relevant
Ultimately, though not guaranteed, we all must progress from infancy, to youth, to adulthood, to middle age, to old age and eventual death. The big question is, what account we will give for how we have lived, our motivations, our accomplishments, or lack of them,. The things we held dear , the items and people we invested in, all are left behind. The only thing we take with us is our reputation. This book and its great narrator captures the essence of the great life Henry Ford lived.

Expand the Horizons of Possibilities

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Love or hate him, this book is a revealing insight in to the man behind the Ford motor company and will show you what one man with a vision can do.

One man, one vision.

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A brilliant account of one the greatest business minds ever, very gripping for would be entrepreneurs

An epic life

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One of the best and most complete biographies I have ever listened to. I have always been fascinated with Henry Ford but this volume helped me truly "meet" him. I felt I was in the same room as the genius that helped change America and the world. The writing style kept my attention throughout and the narrator made me feel I was actually listening to the great man. I was saddened to learn of his weaknesses, especially his strong anti-Semitic views but in the end I realised I had learnt much more about the whole person. This book is a definite must for lovers of biographies and social history.

Remarkable..

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Learnt so much I didn’t know about the man, such an interesting life. The good the bad and the ugly all laid out here.

Great story about a complex character

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