Taking on the Trust

As John D. Rockefeller builds his fortune in the oil industry that eventually becomes Standard Oil, journalist Ida Tarbell, his nemesis, investigates his business tactics. Her goal is to bust the trust that controls Standard Oil and its various subsidiaries. Pam Ward narrates this history of the oil industry, paying careful attention to the details laid out in Weinberg's research. Ward's evenly paced narration elucidates each event, each twist of fate. Point by point, event by event, her no-nonsense performance invokes the tenacity of Rockefeller, who fights to keep his empire, and Tarbell, who is determined to bring competition into the marketplace. Ward effortlessly holds the listener's attention with her straightforward delivery of Weinberg's complex tapestry of history and biography. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

December 17, 2007
Investigative journalist Weinberg (Armand Hammer: The Untold Story
) briskly recounts the story of the rise of the Standard Oil monopoly in the late 19th century and muckraking reporter Ida Tarbell's role in bringing it down. The book is a study in opposites: John D. Rockefeller used his enormous wealth “to establish the staid, stable family life he had lacked as a youngster.” Tarbell—raised in bourgeois stability, intellectually ravenous and interested in the women's movement from an early age —resisted women's traditional domestic role. Wishing to help address society's problems, Tarbell was lured into magazine writing, where she developed what Weinberg calls her trademark “tone of controlled outrage.” In her articles on Standard, published just after the turn of the 20th century in McClure's
and then in book form, she amassed evidence that Rockefeller engaged in “unfair competition” and argued forcefully that all Americans should be concerned with business ethics. Her reporting helped create the modern genre of investigative journalism, and the author's brief references to Wal-Mart and contemporary journalism suggest that he hopes this engaging account—a likely pick for journalism classes—can help inspire more reporters to follow in Tarbell's footsteps. 16 pages of illus.

Starred review from June 30, 2008
This extensively researched account of one woman's successful attempt to take on one of the largest oil companies in the world, which just happened to be owned by John D. Rockefeller, 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. A Norton hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 17).