Ray & Joan
The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away
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Ray & Joan
Narrated by:
Lisa Napoli
Buy Now for $25.99
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Narrated by:
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Lisa Napoli
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By:
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Lisa Napoli
About this listen
Ray & Joan is a quintessentially American tale of corporate intrigue and private passion: a struggling Mad Men–era salesman with a vision for a fast-food franchise that would become one of the world’s most enduring brands, and a beautiful woman willing to risk her marriage and her reputation to promote controversial causes that touched her deeply.
Ray Kroc was peddling franchises around the country for a fledgling hamburger stand in the 1950s—McDonald’s, it was called—when he entered a St. Paul supper club and encountered a beautiful young piano player who would change his life forever. The attraction between Ray and Joan was instantaneous and instantly problematic. Yet even the fact that both were married to other people couldn’t derail their roller coaster of a romance.
To the outside world, Ray and Joan were happy, enormously rich, and giving. But privately, Joan was growing troubled over Ray’s temper and dark secret, something she was reluctant to publicly reveal. Those close to them compared their relationship to that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. And yet, this volatility paved the way for Joan’s transformation into one of the greatest philanthropists of our time. A force in the peace movement, she produced activist films, books, and music and ultimately gave away billions of dollars, including landmark gifts to the Salvation Army and NPR.
Together, the two stories form a compelling portrait of the twentieth century: a story of big business, big love, and big giving.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this audio book to any current entrepreneur, budding entrepreneur, McDonald's worker or anyone that wonders about how it all got started.What was one of the most memorable moments of Ray & Joan?
After watching the movie where it seems like Ray and Joan got married straight after they met, I was interested to find it was actually 12 years later and Ray married someone else between Ethel and Joan.What does Lisa Napoli bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
She writes and narrates in a lively way. the story jumps back and forward quite a bit, but after 4 or 5 chapters you've now been introduced to all the characters and then it's just finding out what happens to them.Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Not really.Any additional comments?
I think I've met a lot of sales people like Ray Kroc, but then most of them don't actually go on to success, they usually go the other way.For when you've just watched The Founder
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