Customer Reviews

In Praise of Nepotism: A History of Family Enterprise from King David to George W. Bush

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This very original piece of work describes the history and biological basis of nepotism. This book has been described as a `polemic' which it surely is not, instead it is an interesting, very calmly argued accounting of nepotism through the ages. The riveting begins with a description of the Godfather and nepotism in America, especially the widely held view that George Bush and Al Gore are examples of the `new' American nepotism. The argument proceeds to describe nepotism in non-western societies, such as China, Africa and of course the caste system of India, including biological descriptions of nepotism among animals and nepotism at the tribal and clan level. Then we are given an introduction to western nepotism, the Romans, the Greeks, the Jews, the rise of the Church and Charlemagne's family.

The second section of the book describes nepotism in America from the 1700s to the present. The waves of American immigration are discussed, the separate cultures of North and South, the rise of the Boston Brahmins, the Roosevelt's and the Kennedy's. Given the claim that nepotism has deep roots in America the book desires to discover how it is that America, alone among the nation of the book made the condemnation of nepotism a prime value, a value that has led to success and strength, including the meritocracy.

A very interesting book, part history, part sociology. The only flaw here is that it concentrates on a few examples and individuals, describing these peoples rise without giving context of the grander scheme of nepotism.

Seth J. Frantzman