A DISPOSITION TO BE RICH How a Small-Town Pastor's Son Ruined an American President, Brought on a Wall Street Crash, and Made Himself the Best-Hated Man in the United States

Today's headlines are full of stories of huge losses by banks and investment schemes gone bad, but listening to the astonishing swindles of Ferdinand Ward, "the Bernie Madoff of the Gilded Age," puts the fascinatingly similar scandals into a historical context. Narrator Robertson Dean’s smooth, deep voice takes us easily and directly into this biography of the author's great grandfather. Dean, as the author's voice, allows the facts to provide the sensationalism—little embellishment is needed. When quotes from letters or newspaper accounts are read, they’re distinct from the narrative. The details of the swindles, bribes, and chicanery are drama enough. Engaging accounts of American history and culture (HORATIO'S DRIVE, A FIRST-CLASS TEMPERAMENT, and his collaborations with Ken Burns) are author Ward's métier. Here, Dean assures their success as an audiobook. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2012]