The Fish that Ate the Whale

A very good read

Peter Chapman, Financial Times

Great fun… The author has a tremendous imaginative facility, and he brings vividly to life the broiling quays of of New Orleans in its commercial heyday

Alex Goodall, Literary Review

I found the story riveting, mainly because of the mischievous ease with which Cohen tells it. He has done his research, but he's no prissy, footnote-addled academic

Peter Conrad, Observer

Rich Cohen…has undoubtedly picked a remarkable subject and infuses the narrative with a breathless excitement

Josh Glancy, Jewish Telegraph

Sam 'The Bannanaman' Zemurray was a larger than life character. Rich Cohen is a superb storyteller. Put them together and you have a startling and often hilarious account of one of the forgotten heroes (and villains) of the American empire

Zev Chafets

This is a rollicking but brilliantly researched book about one of the most fascinating characters of the twentieth century. I grew up in New Orleans enthralled by the tales of Sam Zemurray, the banana peddler who built United Fruit. This book recounts, with delightful verve, his military and diplomatic manoeuvres in Central America and his colourful life and business practices

Walter Isaacson, author of 'Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography'

This remarkable book… is a beautifully written homage to a man whose pioneering life mirrors so much of America’s beauty and beastliness. The life of Sam the Banana Man is Cohen’s eloquent hands, is as nourishing and odd as the bendy yellow berry that made him great

Melissa Katsoulis, The Times