Long before the rise of megacorporations like Walmart and Microsoft, Standard Oil controlled the oil industry with a monopolistic force unprecedented in American business history. Undaunted by the ruthless power of its owner, John D. Rockefeller, a fearless and ambitious reporter named Ida Minerva Tarbell confronted the company known simply as “The Trust.” Through her peerless fact gathering and devastating prose, Tarbell pioneered the new practice of investigative journalism. Her shocking discoveries about Standard Oil and Rockefeller led to a dramatic confrontation that culminated in the landmark 1911 Supreme Court antitrust decision, forever altering the landscape of modern American industry. Based on extensive research, Taking on the Trust is a vivid and dramatic history of the Progressive Era with powerful resonance for the early twenty-first century.
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“This extensively researched account…is a truly exceptional piece of work worthy of multiple listens. Pam Ward reads with vigor and enthusiasm, presenting Weinberg’s account of Ida Tarbell and justice during the Progressive Era with honesty and resolve. Ward reads with remarkable clarity but never slows to a lethargic pace. While the subject may seem aimed at a limited audience, the topics of discussion are largely applicable in today’s modern world, and Ward seems positively aware of this in her reading.”
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Publishers Weekly (starred review)