Crazy Rich

May 6, 2013
In his latest breathless tell-all, Oppenheimer (author of unauthorized biographies of Martha Stewart, the Hilton family, Anna Wintour, and others) trains his gaze on the Johnsons, the cursed Kennedies of pharmaceuticalsâa family who, with every generation, find themselves at the center of celebrity and political scandal. From the very start, the Johnson clan courted controversy by smashing rivals and famously stealing Florence Nightingale's logo for the Red Cross. Since then, they've been plagued by misery, corruption, and misfortune (despite amassing a substantial fortune). Oppenheimer provides a wealth of salacious and sometimes tragic materialâfrom Casey Johnson's recent breakdown and death, to the parade of outlandish characters who have married into the family (including the housekeeper-turned-dowager Barbara Piasecka Johnson, who died this past April 1) and the transformation of Robert "Woody" Johnson IV from playboy to Republican powerbroker, football mogul, and philanthropist. The book is an impressive example of journalistic synthesis, bringing together bits of tabloid journalism not usually connected (playing celebrity connect-the-dots is half the book's fun) around a strong narrative core. The lurid, occasionally clumsy writing is matched by a real sadness for a family whose money can buy influence and power, but comes with costly personal consequences.

May 15, 2013
A prolific biographer of the rich and infamous, Oppenheimer (Madoff with the Money, 2009, etc.) digs into five generations of the Johnson family, "the most dysfunctional family in the Fortune 500." Founded in 1887 by three Johnson brothers, Johnson & Johnson became synonymous with products such as Band-Aids and baby powder. The author occasionally reveals corporate strategies and secrets but mostly focuses on the members of the extended Johnson family, detailing their mind-boggling personal wealth. Hundreds of names come and go throughout the narrative, with Oppenheimer concentrating on 15 blood relatives, their spouses and business partners. The book is largely a fast-paced chronicle of births, courtings, marriages, divorces, estrangements, bitter lawsuits, drug and alcohol abuses, crimes, memorable deaths and other unpleasantness. After the first generation, members of the Johnson family found it difficult to decipher whether outsiders cared about them for their personalities or only for their wealth. That kind of doubt can cause havoc with emotional stability, as Oppenheimer demonstrates with frequent salacious details of the lives of his protagonists. As is the case with his other unauthorized biographies, the author usually reveals little about whether his information derives from primary or secondary sources. The writing is clear but often painful to read due to the use of cliches and trite metaphors. One Johnson family member emerges as the chief subject: Robert Wood Johnson IV, a great-grandson of a company founder. Oppenheimer uses the nickname "Woody" to identify the protagonist, frequently coming back to his fundraising for Republican presidential candidates and his ownership of the New York Jets. A gossipy, character-driven saga suggesting that the spoiled rich are their own worst enemies.

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Starred review from July 1, 2013
Oppenheimer's eleventh biography chronicles five generations of the Johnson dynasty, from the three brothers who founded the world's largest health-care business in 1888 through the subsequent members of the Lucky Sperm Club, heirs and heiresses who benefited financially from the family name while having little or nothing to do with running the company. Known as The General, founding brother Robert Wood Johnson Jr. ruled the roost with an iron fist until his death in 1968, and his great-grandson and namesake Robert Wood Woody Johnson IV is the billionaire owner of the New York Jets. Woody's daughter, Casey Johnson, was a tabloid celebutante and friend of Paris Hilton who came to a tragic end in 2009 at the age of 31, and his once-troubled uncle is the famed sculptor, J. Seward Johnson Jr. Oppenheimer follows the clan of dysfunctional Band-Aid and baby-powder millionaires through the adulterous affairs, ugly divorces, drug and alcohol addictions, tragic accidents, suicide attempts, paternity disputes, will contests, and other turmoil as the family reaps the rewards of inheritance through privilege, opulence, and excess, for better and for worse.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2013

Oppenheimer, who's offered unauthorized peeks at Hillary and Bill Clinton, Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Jerry Seinfeld, and the Hilton family and landed on the best sellers lists for his troubles, here looks at the heirs of the Johnson megamillions and comes up with enough sex, suicide, and scandal to keep the right readers engrossed until all hours of the night.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.