Rockefeller in the time of Covid-19
I have something to confess. I like the smell of old books. I sniff through them for several hours and get ecstatic. They have an appeal of a sweet memory that suddenly pops up in my lazy days.
The same is true with Ron Chernow's, Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. It's a classic and a national bestseller which I go back to from time to time. It is like meeting an old mentor who puts you back on your feet when you get distracted. When the local government placed our town under quarantine due to Covid-19, I went back to this book.
Ron Chernow's story-telling was of remarkable ingenuity and elegance. There was a serious unlocking of a cabinet full of secrets. It breathed life to the stiff and elusive character of Rockefeller. It gave him flesh and blood. Slippery as he is, Rockefeller shunned publicity in his heyday. This much sought billionaire has a love for secrecy to the point of defying worldly display of his wealth. Though it was difficult to have an accurate depiction of him as a person, much research was done to capture his persona. It was smooth, clear and balanced.
The book unfolds following the life of a business legend, John D. Rockefeller. His humble beginnings were written in a crisp manner. It gently imprinted a vivid memory of anecdotes on his show of entreprenurial spirit, his job searching days and his troubled relationship with his father. The outstanding part was the narration of his success story as a humble bookkeeper to his cunning machinations to protect his magnanimous empire. It was a story interconnected with his family, colleagues, and business antagonists. It highlighted his puzzling personality, Christian faith and work ethic. It was a brilliant display of Rockefeller's hardwork, thrift, enigmatic discipline, his do or die determination with effortless storytelling. Titan is a fairly long book. Chernow must not have been left with any option in putting together the life of this remarkable man who lived to his ripe age of 97.
For many reasons, Titan is a breath of fresh of hope in this time of sickness, despair and business uncertainty. It puts faith on the accomplishments of humanity and optimism on the things to come. Just like what Rockefeller said, "Prosperity has always returned and will again."