by Julia Flynn Siler (2007)
An epic, scandal-plagued story of the immigrant family that built—and then spectacularly lost—a global wine empireSet in California's lush Napa Valley and spanning four generations of a talented and visionary family, The House of Mondavi is a tale of genius, sibling rivalry, and betrayal. From 1906, when Italian immigrant Cesare Mondavi passed through Ellis Island, to the Robert Mondavi Corp.'s twenty-first-century battle over a billion-dollar fortune, award-winning journalist Julia Flynn brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama.The blood feuds are as spectacular as the business triumphs. Cesare's sons, Robert and Peter, literally came to blows in the 1960s during a dispute touched off by the purchase of a mink coat, resulting in Robert's exile from the family—and his subsequent founding of a winery that would set off a revolution in American winemaking. Robert's sons, Michael and Timothy, as passionate in their own ways as their visionary father, waged battle with each other for control of the company before Michael's expansive ambitions ultimately led to a board coup and the sale of the business to an international conglomerate.A meticulously reported narrative based on thousands of hours of interviews, The House of Mondavi is bound to become a classic.
Wong Kwok-Chu
"This is a first book on an elusive subject that many scholars had thought almost impossible to do: an analytical business history of the Chinese in a Southeast Asian country. It critically examines the key elements of the entrepreneurial roles of the Philippine Chinese in the local economy during 1898-1941, and analyzes their business achievements and limitations at both the community and individual levels."--BOOK JACKET.
Evan Thomas
On February 15th, 1898, the American ship USS Maine mysteriously exploded in the Havana Harbor. News of the blast quickly reached U.S. shores, where it was met by some not with alarm but great enthusiasm. A powerful group of war lovers agitated that the United States exert its muscle across the seas. Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge were influential politicians dismayed by the "closing" of the Western frontier. William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal falsely heralded that Spain's "secret infernal machine" had destroyed the battleship as Hearst himself saw great potential in whipping Americans into a frenzy. The Maine would provide the excuse they'd been waiting for. On the other side were Roosevelt's former teacher, philosopher William James, and his friend and political ally, Thomas Reed, the powerful Speaker of the House. Both foresaw a disaster. At stake was not only sending troops to Cuba and the Philippines, Spain's sprawling colony on the other side of the world -- but the friendships between these men. Now, bestselling historian Evan Thomas brings us the full story of this monumental turning point in American history. Epic in scope and revelatory in detail, The War Lovers takes us from Boston mansions to the halls of Congress to the beaches of Cuba and the jungles of the Philippines. It is a landmark work with an unforgettable cast of characters -- and provocative relevance to today. - Jacket flap.
Judith Kafka
"This book looks back at the historical roots of "zero tolerance" school discipline policies. Through a case study of the Los Angeles city school district from the 1950s through the 1970s, Judith Kafka explores the intersection of race, politics, and the bureaucratic organization of schooling. Kafka argues that control over discipline became increasingly centralized in the second half of the 20th century in response to pressures exerted by teachers, parents, students, principals, and local politicians - often at different historical moments, and for different purposes. Kafka demonstrates that the racial inequities produced by today's school discipline policies were not inevitable, nor are they immutable"--
Gill Tudor
""The world is going to hell. We've got to co-operate."" "This was the message sent from the US Treasury to Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs on the eve of the September 1998 G7 summit. The global financial system was on the brink of disaster. Economies were crashing from Thailand to Russia, fortunes were lost in the world's financial centres and millions of jobs were axed." "Disaster was eventually averted, but the shaky foundations of the world's financial architecture had been exposed. Rollercoaster tells the gripping story of the rise and fall of the emerging markets."--Jacket.