Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away - Hardcover

Napoli, Lisa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410496708 ISBN 13: 9781410496706

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2017

Synopsis

THE REMARKABLE, LITTLE-KNOWN STORY OF ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST PHILANTHROPISTS

The dramatic relationship between Ray Kroc, the man who amassed a fortune as chairman of one of America's most controversial and iconic companies - McDonald's - and the passionate woman, his wife, Joan, who gave that fortune away.

Beginning in the 1950s, salesman Ray Kroc presided over the transformation of a successful burger stand into an international brand where millions of people eat each day. All the while he pursued the woman who would become his third wife, Joan - a woman willing to risk her marriage and her reputation to promote controversial causes in which she believed. For sheer emotional firepower, the relationship between Ray and Joan - whose massive gifts to NPR and the Salvation Army rate her as one of the greatest philanthropists of our time - has been compared to that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Equally as dramatic as Ray and Joan's romance is the story of how Ray wrested control of the company from the original founders and presided over its growth, once bringing it close to failure before finally triumphing - and, soon after, finally winning the hand of the love of his life. Together, the two stories form a compelling portrait of the twentieth century: a story of big business, big love and big giving.

About this title

Review

"Napoli skillfully assembles the saga of their lives as a couple and just as skillfully portrays Joan's blossoming as a philanthropic force after Ray's death A book characterized by deep research and a seamless weaving together of the details of different lives." --Kirkus Reviews

"Napoli's energetic, slightly tabloidesque narrative style make this a must-read for anyone who loves a good love story behind a business success." --Publishers Weekly

"[An] in-depth examination Napoli provides a fascinating look at the founding couple behind a world-altering corporation and far-reaching generosity." --Booklist

About the Author

Lisa Napoli was among the first journalists to cover the digital age as a staff reporter and columnist for The New York Times and its CyberTimes. She then appeared as an on-air technology reporter and columnist for MSNBC and as a host and reporter for public radio's Marketplace. Her first book, Radio Shangri-La (Broadway Books, 2012), chronicles her time in and around the Kingdom of Bhutan, where she was invited to help start a radio station at the dawn of democratic rule. For four years, she covered arts and culture for the acclaimed public radio station KCRW. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she currently lives in Los Angeles, where she leads an award-winning cooking group for homeless women on Skid Row.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1410496708
• ISBN 13: 9781410496706
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 591