TAKING ON THE TRUST The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller

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. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 08]