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.
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"Life in the United States today is impacted in so many ways by this one man. This book gives the details needed to see how and why. Read alongside Halberstam's The Reckoning for even more understanding of the culture in which we live. " — Andy (5 out of 5 stars)
"Life in the United States today is impacted in so many ways by this one man. This book gives the details needed to see how and why. Read alongside Halberstam's The Reckoning for even more understanding of the culture in which we live. "
" A very thorough and interesting review of Ford and his impact on the 20th Century both positive and negative. "
" One minute you're like, "wow, Henry Ford was the best person ever". And the next you're like, "oh what a major jerk". Definitely an unbiased biography. "
" I enjoyed understanding the genius behind a great mind and the tragedy greatness and passion. "
" I ended up not finishing it. It was due at the library; I had already renewed it twice. It just wasn't worth the time to renew it again. "
" Life in the United States today is impacted in so many ways by this one man. This book gives the details needed to see how and why. Read alongside Halberstam's The Reckoning for even more understanding of the culture in which we live. "
Steven Watts is a professor of history at the University of Missouri. He is the author of The People’s Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century and The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life.
John H. Mayer, author and Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a character actor whose voice has been heard on numerous commercials, animated programs, audiobooks, and narrations including E! Entertainment’s Celebrity Profiles. He was a five-year member of the Groundlings comedy theater company in Los Angeles. He is also the co-author of Radio Rocket Boy, an award-winning short film.
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