A Very Special Book Club with Author, John Seabrook at Huxley & Hiro

• Wednesday, July 16 @ 6:00 pm
• Huxley & Hiro Booksellers, WILMINGTON, DE

We’re thrilled to welcome you to the July meeting of the Huxley & Hiro Book Club! This month’s pick is Spinach King, and we’re excited to be joined by the author, John Seabrook, for a special discussion. Moderated by Donna Carpenter, it promises to be an evening of storytelling, insight, and inspiration.



Book Description:



“Having left this material for his writer son, my father must have wanted the story told, even if he couldn’t bear to tell it himself.” So begins the story of a forgotten American dynasty, a farming family from the bean fields of southern New Jersey who became as wealthy and powerful as aristocrats―only to implode in a storm of lies.



The patriarch, C. F. Seabrook, was hailed as the “Henry Ford of Agriculture.” His son Jack, a keen businessman, was poised to take over what Life called “the biggest vegetable factory on earth.” But the carefully cultivated facade―glamorous outings by horse-drawn carriage, hidden wine cellars, and movie star girlfriends―hid dark secrets that led to the implosion of the family business.



At the heart of the narrative is a multi-generational succession battle. It’s a tale of family secrets and Swiss bank accounts, of half-truths, of hatred and passion―and lots and lots of liquor. The Seabrooks’ colorful legal and moral failings took place amid the trappings of extraordinary privilege. But the story of where that money came from is not so pretty



They say behind every great fortune there is a great crime. At Seabrook Farms, the troubling American histories of race, immigration, and exploitation arise like weeds from the soil. Great Migration Black laborers struck against the company for better wages in the 1930s, and Japanese Americans helped found a “global village” on the farm after World War II. Revealing both C. F. and Jack Seabrook’s corruption, The Spinach King undermines the “great man” theory of industrial progress. It also shows how American farms evolved from Jeffersonian smallholdings to gigantic agribusinesses, and what such enormous firms do to the families whose fate is bound up in the land.



A compulsively readable story of class and privilege, betrayal and revenge―three decades in the making―The Spinach King explores the author’s complicated family legacy and the dark corners of the American Dream.



About the Author:



John Seabrook has been a staff writer at The New Yorker for more than three decades. He is the author of The Song Machine, Flash of Genius, Nobrow and other books. The film ​“Flash of Genius” was based on one of his stories. He and his family live in Brooklyn.



About the Moderator:



Donna Carpenter enjoyed a successful career in specialty publishing as an editor and content creator. However, she knew that there were more powerful ways to promote her passion for reading. She turned her attention to a 20-year career as an AP Literature teacher at Kingsway High School where she influenced the minds of hundreds of students, encouraging them to read widely and write often. She also serves as a teacher mentor and essay grader for the College Board. Donna has followed John Seabrook’s writing career for decades.



Following the discussion, John will take questions from the audience, providing further insight into his experiences and the themes explored in his book.



Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.



All Ages



Free Entrance, Registration Required

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