Synopses & Reviews
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Heirs to a Band-Aid and baby powder fortune, the Johnsons enjoy unimaginable wealth—but their lives have been marred by drug abuse, sexual aberration, bitter feuds, and tragic suicide
From the founders in the late nineteenth century to Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, billionaire owner of the New York Jets, the Johnson dynasty mirrors the Kennedy clan in its propensity for scandal and tragedy. Now all is revealed in this scrupulously researched unauthorized biography by Jerry Oppenheimer. The New York Times bestselling author of biographies of the Kennedys, the Clintons, the Hiltons and Martha Stewart, Oppenheimer uncovers the very private lives of the Johnson family, their immense power, their extraordinary wealth, and provocative dramas:
- The Thrice-married Johnson heiress whose lovers included a Wall Street barons daughter and, reputedly, a First Lady
- The failed suicides of a prominent Johnson brother and sister, and their bizarre marriages and kinky sex games
- The health-obsessed dynasty ruler who abandoned his son and his mother because they were too fat
- The Johnson wife and mother—her photos once festooned a mobsters prison cell—who would walk away with a claimed $100 million divorce settlement
Based on scores of exclusive, on-the-record interviews with family, friends, business associates, lovers, and detractors,
Crazy Rich serves up a host of revelations about the family that was once termed "perhaps the most dysfunctional family in the Fortune 500."
Review
“A wicked debunking of Stewarts carefully crafted persona.” —People on Just Desserts
“After reading House of Hilton, you'll wonder why anyone wouldn't beg to be dropped from the speed dial of a family that makes the Osbournes look like the Brady Bunch.”
—The New York Times
Review
“It would seem that having enough money to do every stupid thing that strikes your fancy is no blessing. . . . [Crazy Rich] is gossipy and fast-moving, with surprising emotional resonance.” —Newark Star Ledger
“A breathless tell-all . . . Oppenheimer trains his gaze on the Johnsons, the cursed Kennedies of pharmaceuticals—a family who, with every generation, find themselves at the center of celebrity and political scandal. . . . The book is an impressive example of journalistic synthesis, bringing together bits of tabloid journalism not usually connected (playing celebrity connect-the-dots is half the book's fun) around a strong narrative core [about] a family whose money can buy influence and power, but comes with costly personal consequences.” —Publishers Weekly
"A prolific biographer of the rich and infamous, Oppenheimer digs into five generations of the Johnson family . . . detailing their mind-boggling personal wealth. . . . A fast-paced chronicle of births, courtings, marriages, divorces, estrangements, bitter lawsuits, drug and alcohol abuses, crimes, memorable deaths and other unpleasantness. . . . A character-driven saga suggesting that the spoiled rich are their own worst enemies." —Kirkus Reviews
“A wicked debunking of Stewarts carefully crafted persona.” —People on Just Desserts
“After reading House of Hilton, you'll wonder why anyone wouldn't beg to be dropped from the speed dial of a family that makes the Osbournes look like the Brady Bunch.”
—The New York Times
Synopsis
From the founders of the international health-care behemoth Johnson & Johnson in the late 1800s to the contemporary Johnsons of today, such as billionaire New York Jets owner Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, all is revealed in this scrupulously researched, unauthorized biography by New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer. Often compared to the Kennedy clan because of the tragedies and scandals that had befallen both wealthy and powerful families, Crazy Rich, based on scores of exclusive, candid, on-the-record interviews, reveals how the dynasty's vast fortune was both intoxicating and toxic through the generations of a family that gave the world Band-Aids and Baby Oil. At the same time, they've been termed perhaps the most dysfunctional family in the fortune 500. Oppenheimer is the author of biographies of the Kennedys, the Clintons, the Hiltons and Martha Stewart, among other American icons.
About the Author
JERRY OPPENHEIMER is the bestselling author of unauthorized biographies of public figures including Hillary and Bill Clinton, Anna Wintour, Rock Hudson, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Ethel Kennedy, Jerry Seinfeld, and the Hilton family. In addition to being a biographer he has also worked in several different capacities as a journalist, including as an investigative reporter and a producer of television news programs and documentaries.