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RAY & JOAN

Lisa Napoli

The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away

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 then 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.

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, 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.
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Book

Published 2016-11-15 by Dutton

Book

Published 2016-11-15 by Dutton

Comments

A beautifully written glimpse into the real lives of an American power couple and the incredible contributions one woman made to society.

Ray & Joan is a classic all-American tale, brimming with greed and generosity, success and failure, love and betrayal--and an awful lot of hamburgers. Lisa Napoli brilliantly combines all of these ingredients while unearthing delicious details about the man, and the woman, behind the golden arches. If you think you already know the McDonald’s story, read this book. You’ll never look at a Big Mac the same again.

In the terrific Ray & Joan, Lisa Napoli tells a story with as many colorful layers as a Big Mac. Behind the wonderfully messy, complicated, rags-to-riches tale of Ray Kroc, the mastermind of one the world's most iconic brands, is the equally complicated and generally unknown story of his wife Joan, one of the world's greatest -- and stealthiest! -- philanthropists. A most compelling story, most compellingly told.

Our book is timed to a major movie release: THE FOUNDER, starring Michael Keaton, Linda Cardellini, and Nick Offerman will be released in theaters in August. After seeing the film, which focuses on Ray, readers will be excited to read about Joan’s side of the story. Read more...

Ray & Joan reveals the high cost of great wealth. Before Joan Kroc could give away so generously the billions from the McDonald's hamburger fortune, she first had to put up with the flawed man who made the golden arches ubiquitous. Lisa Napoli tells their tempestuous tale with respect for truth, introducing us to the Krocs as real people with extraordinary lives.

Napoli’s energetic, slightly tabloidesque narrative style make this a must-read for anyone who loves a good love story behind a business success. Read more...

A book characterized by deep research and a seamless weaving together of the details of different lives. Read more...