What do you think?
Rate this book
Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away
The dramatic relationship between Ray Kroc, the man who amassed a fortune as chairman of one of America’s most controversial and iconic companies—McDonald’s—and the passionate woman, his wife, Joan, who then gave that fortune away.
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.
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.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2016
108 people are currently reading
1657 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Napoli
7 books166 followersAuthor,
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
Crown, February 2011
(Paperback: Broadway Books, April, 2012)
Lisa Napoli is a journalist who has worked in all media. She began her career at CNN in Atlanta in the early eighties, worked in local TV news in North Carolina, covered the Clinton campaign and Waco standoff as a field producer for an early iteration of the Fox News Service, produced shows for an upscale division of QVC called Q2, covered the early days of the Web for the NY Times as the first staff columnist/reporter hired for a now defunct-section called CyberTimes, served as Internet correspondent for MSNBC (where she wrote an accompanying column for MSNBC.com) and most recently served as reporter/back-up host for the public radio show Marketplace.
She had never traveled to Asia before she was asked, by chance, to go to Bhutan in 2006.
Her proudest accomplishment, in addition to learning to swim at age 37, are the parties she holds every Friday night, where she relishes seeing friends befriend one another.
A native of Brooklyn, NY and a graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., Napoli currently lives in downtown Los Angeles, where there’s a giant swimming pool, and hopes in the second half of her life to be a philanthropist.
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
Crown, February 2011
(Paperback: Broadway Books, April, 2012)
Lisa Napoli is a journalist who has worked in all media. She began her career at CNN in Atlanta in the early eighties, worked in local TV news in North Carolina, covered the Clinton campaign and Waco standoff as a field producer for an early iteration of the Fox News Service, produced shows for an upscale division of QVC called Q2, covered the early days of the Web for the NY Times as the first staff columnist/reporter hired for a now defunct-section called CyberTimes, served as Internet correspondent for MSNBC (where she wrote an accompanying column for MSNBC.com) and most recently served as reporter/back-up host for the public radio show Marketplace.
She had never traveled to Asia before she was asked, by chance, to go to Bhutan in 2006.
Her proudest accomplishment, in addition to learning to swim at age 37, are the parties she holds every Friday night, where she relishes seeing friends befriend one another.
A native of Brooklyn, NY and a graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., Napoli currently lives in downtown Los Angeles, where there’s a giant swimming pool, and hopes in the second half of her life to be a philanthropist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
Read
November 16, 2016This is the fascinating, zany true-life story of the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of fast food restaurants. Joan, Ray Kroc’s third wife, ultimately gave away billions dollars of the McDonald’s fortune to causes she supported, making her one of the biggest philanthropists of the 20th century.
Backlist bump: Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Backlist bump: Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
February 27, 2019
What do you know about the guy who acquainted you at a relatively early age with two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun? When a cadre of singers he paid for belted out “you deserve a break today,” did you buy in? Most of us have, and many of us continue to. But have you ever wondered about the life of the guy who made it all happen?
This book is for you if you’ve ever thought much about what went into those iconic fries served under the even-more iconic arches. It’s an excellent balance of story and names and dates. Nowhere here does Napoli bog down in McDonald’s minutia, and a lesser writer almost surely would have. You’ll read about the two brothers who started the first franchises and their eventual introduction to Ray Kroc, the hotshot salesman from Chicago. I was fascinated to read of the company’s beginnings. Remember Willard Scott, the weather guy? He was a hair breath away from being the voice of Ronald McDonald. You’ll read about that connection in this book and why it all fell apart.
Kroc was an interesting individual, to say the least. He was well to the right of center in terms of his politics. He was apparently an abusive controlling drunk. But he knew how to deliver a hamburger and fries to the average American in 20 seconds from the moment their order was placed early on.
San Diego baseball fans who were cognizant of the hometown team in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s were well acquainted with Kroc as the team owner. He even delivered a speech once in which he apologized to the fans for the performance of the players.
There are a million tiny facts that await you as you clear away that used hamburger wrapper and dive into this. You’ll read about the extramarital affair that ultimately brought Ray and Joan together. She was the wife of one of his franchisees in South Dakota. You’ll read about Joan’s transformation from dutiful wife with no political leanings during Kroc’s life to the ardent Democrat who gave to liberal causes and vehemently supported the Mondale presidential campaign in 1984.
I’ve only barely touched on the facts Napoli so skillfully presents. She narrates her own book, and she delivers a crisp button-down narration that will appeal to you. Her voice is nicely modulated, and her pacing is perfect for the book. When you combine her skillful narration with her excellence in writing this, you have a book that makes the lives of these people much more interesting than they would be without her thoughtful organization and writing. My only complaint, and it’s a rather unspecific one, is that it felt like Joan Kroc was presented as an angel from on high who took the old drunk, abusive conservative’s money and did amazing things with it. I suppose that’s probably true, but the book doesn’t look at the potential for waste or even fraud in a situation where the merry widow deliriously hands out checks while despising the paperwork that would traditionally be involved in philanthropy.
I enjoyed the book because the fast-food chain has been such an integral part of my admittedly unhealthy lifestyle for so long. When my children were small, the company actually had braille on its soft drink lids. At opposite ends of the lid were the words “other” and “diet.” I taught my daughters how to scratch out the dot five in the r of other, which turned the letter from an r to an l, the dot three in the o of other which turned the o into an e, and the dot five in the t of diet, which turned the t into an s. I would then somberly intone horrific tales of a serial killer who scrupulously investigated all the women he could find whose name was Ethel, murder them, and leave a McDonald’s soft drink lid on the body with the dots scratched out as I had taught them. With those dots scratched out, the lid read “Ethel Dies.”
While other little girls innocently drew in Ronald McDonald coloring books or played in the ubiquitous play places, my hapless daughters were scratching out braille dots and being horrified by stories of the evil soft drink lid serial killer. I have no idea how they turned out as decently as they have.
So do read this book. Alas, since there are no longer braille on McDonald’s lids, you can’t scratch out those dots and create scary stories, but you can read this and enjoy both the talent of the writer and the excellence of the narrator.
This book is for you if you’ve ever thought much about what went into those iconic fries served under the even-more iconic arches. It’s an excellent balance of story and names and dates. Nowhere here does Napoli bog down in McDonald’s minutia, and a lesser writer almost surely would have. You’ll read about the two brothers who started the first franchises and their eventual introduction to Ray Kroc, the hotshot salesman from Chicago. I was fascinated to read of the company’s beginnings. Remember Willard Scott, the weather guy? He was a hair breath away from being the voice of Ronald McDonald. You’ll read about that connection in this book and why it all fell apart.
Kroc was an interesting individual, to say the least. He was well to the right of center in terms of his politics. He was apparently an abusive controlling drunk. But he knew how to deliver a hamburger and fries to the average American in 20 seconds from the moment their order was placed early on.
San Diego baseball fans who were cognizant of the hometown team in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s were well acquainted with Kroc as the team owner. He even delivered a speech once in which he apologized to the fans for the performance of the players.
There are a million tiny facts that await you as you clear away that used hamburger wrapper and dive into this. You’ll read about the extramarital affair that ultimately brought Ray and Joan together. She was the wife of one of his franchisees in South Dakota. You’ll read about Joan’s transformation from dutiful wife with no political leanings during Kroc’s life to the ardent Democrat who gave to liberal causes and vehemently supported the Mondale presidential campaign in 1984.
I’ve only barely touched on the facts Napoli so skillfully presents. She narrates her own book, and she delivers a crisp button-down narration that will appeal to you. Her voice is nicely modulated, and her pacing is perfect for the book. When you combine her skillful narration with her excellence in writing this, you have a book that makes the lives of these people much more interesting than they would be without her thoughtful organization and writing. My only complaint, and it’s a rather unspecific one, is that it felt like Joan Kroc was presented as an angel from on high who took the old drunk, abusive conservative’s money and did amazing things with it. I suppose that’s probably true, but the book doesn’t look at the potential for waste or even fraud in a situation where the merry widow deliriously hands out checks while despising the paperwork that would traditionally be involved in philanthropy.
I enjoyed the book because the fast-food chain has been such an integral part of my admittedly unhealthy lifestyle for so long. When my children were small, the company actually had braille on its soft drink lids. At opposite ends of the lid were the words “other” and “diet.” I taught my daughters how to scratch out the dot five in the r of other, which turned the letter from an r to an l, the dot three in the o of other which turned the o into an e, and the dot five in the t of diet, which turned the t into an s. I would then somberly intone horrific tales of a serial killer who scrupulously investigated all the women he could find whose name was Ethel, murder them, and leave a McDonald’s soft drink lid on the body with the dots scratched out as I had taught them. With those dots scratched out, the lid read “Ethel Dies.”
While other little girls innocently drew in Ronald McDonald coloring books or played in the ubiquitous play places, my hapless daughters were scratching out braille dots and being horrified by stories of the evil soft drink lid serial killer. I have no idea how they turned out as decently as they have.
So do read this book. Alas, since there are no longer braille on McDonald’s lids, you can’t scratch out those dots and create scary stories, but you can read this and enjoy both the talent of the writer and the excellence of the narrator.
January 23, 2018
This book is inspiring. Cos of Joan, not Ray. Fuck Ray Kroc. But Joan was ahead of her time. She gave away the entire fortune way before Bill Gates.
November 16, 2016
Ray Kroc, the founder of the world-wide famous McDonald stores, began with little money but a large imagination. Lisa Napoli has given the reader a fascinating look at how this mega-business began. Not only were the ideas waiting to be born by Ray and other entrepreneurs but also the machines that facilitated the delivery of “fast food” within minutes of being ordered. So, we learn how hamburger presses, French fry cutters, and mixers to make multiple shakes at a time were made. We hear how company policy was made on how franchise owners would all operate the McDonald stores the same way, including the precise timing for making hamburgers, fries, soda and shakes. No one could deviate with his or her own version of what was better depending on geographic areas. Ray’s first and second wives wanted quick success but grew increasingly frustrated at the ups and downs of this process, financially as well as technologically. His third wife changed his life completely and added the final touch to a dream come true!
Joan Kroc, on the other hand, saw her poor, younger years as ones that would shape the rest of her life but certainly not in the way that most people would expect. Joan had few talents except for a dazzling, sexy voice. She was also quite beautiful and took care of her appearance carefully for the rest of her life. Her empathy with people who were trying to make a living with the lowest minimal wage made her a gift giver whom some called overly generous and others called crazy.
Crazy or not, the reader is uplifted at the way Joan tipped tax drivers and waiters/ waitresses, founded and supported the McDonald’s House institution for families with children suffering from cancer, and it just goes on and on with National Public Radio receiving a shockingly large ($200,000,000) donation, as well as other donations to zoos around the world and a radio station, et al.
Ray and Joan… is fascinating reading sure to please all readers! Very nicely presented Lisa Napoli!
Joan Kroc, on the other hand, saw her poor, younger years as ones that would shape the rest of her life but certainly not in the way that most people would expect. Joan had few talents except for a dazzling, sexy voice. She was also quite beautiful and took care of her appearance carefully for the rest of her life. Her empathy with people who were trying to make a living with the lowest minimal wage made her a gift giver whom some called overly generous and others called crazy.
Crazy or not, the reader is uplifted at the way Joan tipped tax drivers and waiters/ waitresses, founded and supported the McDonald’s House institution for families with children suffering from cancer, and it just goes on and on with National Public Radio receiving a shockingly large ($200,000,000) donation, as well as other donations to zoos around the world and a radio station, et al.
Ray and Joan… is fascinating reading sure to please all readers! Very nicely presented Lisa Napoli!
May 24, 2017
Five stars for five reasons. 1) Research on people who are wealthy is very difficult, especially if they wish to be anonymous. This book's research was impressive. 2) The audio book was excellent, read by the author. 3) McDonalds personified the golden years of capitalism after WWII when corporate growth exploded, spurred on by technical innovation. Amazing time in US history. 4) Ray's bio is a study in machismo, a man who was unscrupulous and roughshod in business. He made money for a lot of people but he was a boor and an addict and didn't really care about anyone but himself. His love of music was his redeeming quality and what drew him to Joan. 5) Saint Joan indeed! The burden of too much money can be difficult even for the person who created the wealth (Ray). It is often overwhelming, sometimes fatal for the recipients who inherit it (Joan survived it in style). I love Joan for her work to promote peace, end the nuclear arms race, promote liberal ideas by keeping NPR on the air, and helping the poor. Anyone who is friends with Jimmy Carter and Mr. Rogers is OK by me. May she rest in peace.
March 17, 2024
This was a great look into the life of Ray and Joan Kroc. More so inside of Joan's perspective of the duo. She was more than just a divorcee, a socialite, and most importantly, more than just Ray's wife.
It tells the story from the lens of Joan. Over the years I have read, watched, and heard stories of Ray. Additionally, I have even visted some of the Ray & Joan Kroc Salvation Army centers. It was interesting to learn the origins and the motivation behind it.
Joan was a force to be reckoned with up until her passing.
It tells the story from the lens of Joan. Over the years I have read, watched, and heard stories of Ray. Additionally, I have even visted some of the Ray & Joan Kroc Salvation Army centers. It was interesting to learn the origins and the motivation behind it.
Joan was a force to be reckoned with up until her passing.
October 1, 2017
Who knew? After watching Michael Keaton in The Founder, I became curious about Ray Croc - tho this has a bit more about Joan. Great book club book! FYI-I think the movie did a great job of not stepping on toes and presenting Croc's personality towards the end of the movie.
January 2, 2017
I found the writing dull and would have liked a few pictures.
March 9, 2020
I would like to start by stating the obvious: Ray Kroc is a great big jerk. A man with seemingly limitless energy, ambition and a stickler to details, his turbulent personality turned lives of people around him upside down. I cannot help but to feel sorry for everyone who tangled with Ray: her first wife, the McDonald brothers who had their business and names taken away from them by Ray, the early McDonald’s executives who helped McDonald’s survived its early years only to had Ray pushed them out in his conquest of total control, and mostly his third wife, Joan, who loved Ray enough for her to divorce his first husband, yet suffered under her domineering husband.
However, as the title suggests, this book is not all about that jerk Ray. After his death, the story shifted to Joan, liberated from Ray, eager to make her own mark upon the world, embarked on one of the largest philanthropic missions America has ever seen. Flush with money, Joan threw cash onto every single cause that piqued her interests, from fighting alcoholism to ending arms race. While reading about her whims and the huge wads of cash spent by her is an interesting experience, it is more important to understand the reasons behind Joan’s philanthropic spree.
However, as the title suggests, this book is not all about that jerk Ray. After his death, the story shifted to Joan, liberated from Ray, eager to make her own mark upon the world, embarked on one of the largest philanthropic missions America has ever seen. Flush with money, Joan threw cash onto every single cause that piqued her interests, from fighting alcoholism to ending arms race. While reading about her whims and the huge wads of cash spent by her is an interesting experience, it is more important to understand the reasons behind Joan’s philanthropic spree.
August 16, 2021
I found this book to be really fascinating and well researched. It reminded me of The Founder documentary on Netflix but more focused on Joan as opposed to Ray. The author also definitely portrays Joan in a more positive light than Ray but that makes sense considering one of the main points of her book was to emphasize how Joan was a huge philanthropist. I thought this was an easy and super interesting read.
April 4, 2019
The biography showed great insight into the life of the Krocs. The McDonald franchise and the people involved in its growth had great personal ups and downs with human wrongs. Unfortunately that's what money does. The upside is how Joan Kroc have to many positive causes, the Kroc centers being one.
March 13, 2017
Ray & Joan is an excellent biographer of Ray Kroc, the man who built McDonald's, and his second wife who gave away his fortune. It is the kind of biography that makes clear that biographies (and books in general) are not great because of the topic, but because of what the author does with it. Lisa Napoli does and excellent job bringing Ray and Joan to life, and describing how they fit within the context of their world. For example, as someone who grew up with ubiquitous McDonald's, and who did not consider them a great place for a family dinner, reading about the rise of drive-in dinners, and how they were considered a little sketchy, made the rise of the squeaky clean set up of McDonald's understandable. Then she brings in the car culture. Then disposable paperware. It all adds up. Meanwhile, both Ray and Joan are fascinating individuals, as is the "cult" of corporate McDonald's. It did lag a bit at points (Joan's hodge podge giving becomes a little laundry list-like), but overall it was a great read.
Read
June 15, 2018An ARC from Dutton I got a loooonnngggg time ago
November 8, 2016
This was quite an interesting book. I learned a lot that I did not know. I knew that Ray Kroc had bought out the brothers and started McDonald's, but I didn't know exactly how it happened. I'm still not sure why the brothers were so mad at Ray. I don't think McDonald's would be the company it is today without him.
As for the book, like I said it was pretty interesting at first. Towards the end, it started becoming a little tedious when it started talking about Joan giving away all the money. There was one part where she gave a lot of money to a town that had been severely flooded. She gave the money anonymously, yet several days later she shows up in her private jet. Surprise, then the townspeople knew where the money had come from. She did do a lot of good for a lot of people, however.
Together the couple knew a lot of famous people. And it sounds like their marriage was certainly not always a blast as Ray did like his Early Times. When I read about all the jewels Joan had, that was just crazy.
I like to read books about the inside lives of famous people and this one definitely told a lot. There were a lot of things that were alleged and a lot of things that were told. Ray Kroc was definitely a businessman and that was his life. The book may have things out, but there were a lot of things that were not held back. It was a very interesting read. It amazed me that when Ray divorced his first two wives, he had someone else tell them he wanted a divorce. That part just blew me away. Especially the way he handled it with his second wife. You'll have to read the book and check that one out.
I would like to think Penguin Group Dutton for approving my request and letting me see into the lives of Ray and Joan and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
As for the book, like I said it was pretty interesting at first. Towards the end, it started becoming a little tedious when it started talking about Joan giving away all the money. There was one part where she gave a lot of money to a town that had been severely flooded. She gave the money anonymously, yet several days later she shows up in her private jet. Surprise, then the townspeople knew where the money had come from. She did do a lot of good for a lot of people, however.
Together the couple knew a lot of famous people. And it sounds like their marriage was certainly not always a blast as Ray did like his Early Times. When I read about all the jewels Joan had, that was just crazy.
I like to read books about the inside lives of famous people and this one definitely told a lot. There were a lot of things that were alleged and a lot of things that were told. Ray Kroc was definitely a businessman and that was his life. The book may have things out, but there were a lot of things that were not held back. It was a very interesting read. It amazed me that when Ray divorced his first two wives, he had someone else tell them he wanted a divorce. That part just blew me away. Especially the way he handled it with his second wife. You'll have to read the book and check that one out.
I would like to think Penguin Group Dutton for approving my request and letting me see into the lives of Ray and Joan and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
February 8, 2017
Learn the Fascinating Background of an Iconic American Brand: McDonald’s
I loved hearing the detailed story of Ray Kroc, the man behind the creation of McDonald’s and his third wife, Joan Kroc. Their humble beginnings and how they each had a huge impact on the American culture was fascinating. Lisa Napoli is a well-crafted storyteller and I enjoyed hearing this audio book cover to cover. Ray Kroc was much older than Joan and when he passed, left his fortune to his wife. She took those funds and gave them away to an incredible number of different institutions. RAY & JOAN reveals flawed characters in their lives yet an amazing story which I enjoyed and recommend.
I loved hearing the detailed story of Ray Kroc, the man behind the creation of McDonald’s and his third wife, Joan Kroc. Their humble beginnings and how they each had a huge impact on the American culture was fascinating. Lisa Napoli is a well-crafted storyteller and I enjoyed hearing this audio book cover to cover. Ray Kroc was much older than Joan and when he passed, left his fortune to his wife. She took those funds and gave them away to an incredible number of different institutions. RAY & JOAN reveals flawed characters in their lives yet an amazing story which I enjoyed and recommend.
November 5, 2016
For those that don't know Ray and Joan Kroc, they were considered the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of the business world. Ray, a multi-billionaire from his ownership of the McDonald's chain and his philanthropic wife Joan were eccentric, fascinating and nuts. Author Lisa Napoli paints an interesting story of the couple who were worth a lot but also were generous with their fortune, donating to various worthwhile causes even after Ray Kroc's death.
From both their humble beginnings to owning the San Diego Padres in the 70's and 80's, this crazy duo certainly led a interesting life, which included several marriages, business gambles, alcoholic addiction, and just an surreal lifestyle in general.
A great read that gives another perspective on how the other half lives.
From both their humble beginnings to owning the San Diego Padres in the 70's and 80's, this crazy duo certainly led a interesting life, which included several marriages, business gambles, alcoholic addiction, and just an surreal lifestyle in general.
A great read that gives another perspective on how the other half lives.
December 13, 2016
It was fun to read this book because it was totally out of my usual sphere of reading choices. It was fascinating to read about how Ray Kroc made the McDonald's franchises operate so smoothly. It was even more interesting to read about how Joan Kroc dealt with his alcoholism while he was alive and used his money to promote many good causes after his death. I was especially fascinated by her relationship with Norman Cousins and her support of his research on the mind/body connection. I was impressed by her efforts to educate people, especially doctors, about alcoholism. Ultimately, it reminded me again that money isn't everything and I do not regret the fact that I am not a millionaire.
November 23, 2016
I downloaded this ebook from the library and almost didn't read it because I have never been particularly interested in McDonalds or the Krocs. I'm so glad that I did read it. It was so interesting and seemed very candid. Mrs. Kroc was one of a kind as was Mr Kroc. Generous people who enjoyed their lives. After his death, Mrs Kroc was incredibly generous and kind even though her nature was feisty and particular. I liked this book very much.
April 25, 2022
This book was terrific! Flawed but beautiful characters and some history on the American iconic fast-food restaurant, McDonald's. I plan to loan it to my teenage daughter, who currently works at McDonald's. I do highly recommend the book. What a treat to have won it in a giveaway!
I WON this book on a Goodreads Giveaway!!! I will be getting this book, in hardcover, in a few weeks! I am excited to read it and review it in the spirit of Goodreads Giveaways!
I WON this book on a Goodreads Giveaway!!! I will be getting this book, in hardcover, in a few weeks! I am excited to read it and review it in the spirit of Goodreads Giveaways!
March 25, 2017
What an interesting and intriguing book about a true power couple. I love biographies and this one was even more so because I enjoy McDonald, and this one did not let me down. It was an easy read and one that everyone will enjoy. I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.
October 13, 2017
Fascinating account of one of the most enigmatic and successful people of the mid 20th century and the women who lived with him, married him, and more often than not, tried to escape from him. Really shows the huge toll such extraordinary success can take on family and personal lives.
November 6, 2017
Interesting subject matter. Poor writing. Do serious biographers include the thoughts of the people they never knew in their biographies? This book straddles that line between biography and fiction.
December 10, 2016
I was both surprised and disappointed that there were no photos included in this book. They would've been a great addition.
October 8, 2017
I am fascinated by the story of Ray and Joan Kroc, and this book was interesting and engaging.
September 10, 2019
Very interesting account of Ray Kroc, the man who built McDonald's into a global behemoth and amassed a stupendous fortune; and his third wife, Joan, who did philanthropy her way. In this book, Ray and Joan get equal time, so it's much more than a story about building a business.
McDonald's was a single restaurant in southern California owned by two McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac. In the fifties, the drive-in/carhop model dominated fast food. The McDonalds had a different idea: Customers would get out of their cars, come to the counter, order, and get their food... FAST.
They developed a system they called "Speedee" to deliver a meal 20 seconds after receiving the order. They choreographed the Speedee process by drawing footsteps in chalk on a tennis court behind their house ala Arthur Murray. (It rained that night, so they drew it again the next day--one of many wonderful anecdotes in this book.)
Their restaurant was a success, and others wanted to use their system. The brothers weren't interested in building a national chain, but if someone was interested, they would sell the system to other restaurants.
Ray Kroc sold multi-mixers (milk shake blenders). Dick's and Mac's restaurant was a customer. He saw great potential in a super efficient system that produced pretty high quality food. Ray pestered the McDonald brothers until they hired him to peddle McDonald's franchises. Thus did Dick and Mac relieve themselves of two nuisances: Requests for the Speedee system; and Ray.
Ray built out the national network of McDonald's franchises. Being a McDonald's franchisee was a license to print money. But for many years, McDonald's, Inc. teetered near bankruptcy, and Ray had to continue his day job as a mixer salesman. Eventually, that changed, and Ray became rich beyond measure.
When Ray first spotted Joan, she was a beautiful woman who played the organ at a fancy restaurant in Minneapolis. Though both of them were married, Joan was irresistible to Ray, and she was taken with him. Ray arranged for Joan's then-husband to be awarded a McDonald's franchise in Rapid City, South Dakota, where Ray could visit with a work excuse.
Joan struggled to maintain her marriage, but really, she didn't see her life's reward as a member of the Rapid City (or as Joan called it, Wretched City) merchant class, and she was right. Eventually, she divorced her husband, married Ray, and moved to California.
Ray was 26 years older than Joan, in poor health, and in simple terms, a jerk. He was an alcoholic. He might erupt in rage at any moment. He demanded total control in everything he did. That instilled discipline in the business but was hard on everyone around him. His politics were reactionary. (He referred to lofty government officials as "codfish aristocrats." Yeah, Ray could turn a phrase.) He turned on the McDonald brothers and tried to run them out of business. He enjoyed being feted for his generosity as a philanthropist, but giving was simply a public relations gesture and a tax write-off. He had no interest in the charities.
Joan, on the other hand, cared very much about using their vast fortune to achieve good. Her early causes were alcohol dependency and nuclear disarmament. Ray thought these were silly, but she fashioned her involvement in such a way that he could ignore it. She never did anything to embarrass him or McDonald's.
After Ray died, Joan felt she had earned the right to indulge herself. Her lavish lifestyle included multiple mansions and trips on a private jet to wherever she cared to go. She realized she could never spend all of the money she inherited, and her charitable interests expanded. But for Joan, it was always personal. She dissolved her charitable foundation and just wrote checks when she felt like it. It might be some cause that a friend brought to her or maybe just something she heard about through the news. She often met the recipients.
When she learned she was terminally ill, she decided that she did not want to establish an endowment. Instead, she wanted to disperse her 2.7 billion dollar fortune and put it to work immediately, and she did.
The writing in this book is lively, the stories amusing, the context colorful.
McDonald's was a single restaurant in southern California owned by two McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac. In the fifties, the drive-in/carhop model dominated fast food. The McDonalds had a different idea: Customers would get out of their cars, come to the counter, order, and get their food... FAST.
They developed a system they called "Speedee" to deliver a meal 20 seconds after receiving the order. They choreographed the Speedee process by drawing footsteps in chalk on a tennis court behind their house ala Arthur Murray. (It rained that night, so they drew it again the next day--one of many wonderful anecdotes in this book.)
Their restaurant was a success, and others wanted to use their system. The brothers weren't interested in building a national chain, but if someone was interested, they would sell the system to other restaurants.
Ray Kroc sold multi-mixers (milk shake blenders). Dick's and Mac's restaurant was a customer. He saw great potential in a super efficient system that produced pretty high quality food. Ray pestered the McDonald brothers until they hired him to peddle McDonald's franchises. Thus did Dick and Mac relieve themselves of two nuisances: Requests for the Speedee system; and Ray.
Ray built out the national network of McDonald's franchises. Being a McDonald's franchisee was a license to print money. But for many years, McDonald's, Inc. teetered near bankruptcy, and Ray had to continue his day job as a mixer salesman. Eventually, that changed, and Ray became rich beyond measure.
When Ray first spotted Joan, she was a beautiful woman who played the organ at a fancy restaurant in Minneapolis. Though both of them were married, Joan was irresistible to Ray, and she was taken with him. Ray arranged for Joan's then-husband to be awarded a McDonald's franchise in Rapid City, South Dakota, where Ray could visit with a work excuse.
Joan struggled to maintain her marriage, but really, she didn't see her life's reward as a member of the Rapid City (or as Joan called it, Wretched City) merchant class, and she was right. Eventually, she divorced her husband, married Ray, and moved to California.
Ray was 26 years older than Joan, in poor health, and in simple terms, a jerk. He was an alcoholic. He might erupt in rage at any moment. He demanded total control in everything he did. That instilled discipline in the business but was hard on everyone around him. His politics were reactionary. (He referred to lofty government officials as "codfish aristocrats." Yeah, Ray could turn a phrase.) He turned on the McDonald brothers and tried to run them out of business. He enjoyed being feted for his generosity as a philanthropist, but giving was simply a public relations gesture and a tax write-off. He had no interest in the charities.
Joan, on the other hand, cared very much about using their vast fortune to achieve good. Her early causes were alcohol dependency and nuclear disarmament. Ray thought these were silly, but she fashioned her involvement in such a way that he could ignore it. She never did anything to embarrass him or McDonald's.
After Ray died, Joan felt she had earned the right to indulge herself. Her lavish lifestyle included multiple mansions and trips on a private jet to wherever she cared to go. She realized she could never spend all of the money she inherited, and her charitable interests expanded. But for Joan, it was always personal. She dissolved her charitable foundation and just wrote checks when she felt like it. It might be some cause that a friend brought to her or maybe just something she heard about through the news. She often met the recipients.
When she learned she was terminally ill, she decided that she did not want to establish an endowment. Instead, she wanted to disperse her 2.7 billion dollar fortune and put it to work immediately, and she did.
The writing in this book is lively, the stories amusing, the context colorful.
December 17, 2018
Full review at: http://www.everydayiwritethebookblog....
Ray Kroc is best – if erroneously – known as the founder of McDonald’s. He didn’t actually start the company – the first McDonald’s was owned by two brothers in San Bernardino, CA – but Ray did develop the franchise model that turned McDonald’s into one of the world’s biggest brands, making himself a billionaire in the process. Ray’s third wife, Joan, to whom he was married when he died, gave away the billions of dollars in wealth that her husband created, and she is the subject of Lisa Napoli’s 2016 book, Ray & Joan.
The first half of Ray & Joan covers the history of the McDonald’s chain, including its dusty inception, and the early, lean years of Ray’s ownership of the company. A salesman at heart, he made many missteps along the way to success, each of which is covered in the book. Joan, meanwhile, was a young wife and mother when Ray laid eyes on her in a Minnesota nightclub, playing piano and singing. She stole his heart, and while it would be many years before they were together, he never forgot about her. Ray and Joan were fiery, opinionated people who fought often but were drawn together by a passion that survived three marriages to other people.
By the time the Krocs finally got together for good in 1969, Ray was already very wealthy. The causes that he chose to support were determined by his conservative political views, and Joan often felt limited in her ability to direct her husband’s philanthropy. She tolerated his purchase of the San Diego Padres and took a limited interest in his funding of business schools and various health causes.
But as Ray’s health declined, and after his death in 1984, Joan began to take charge of the family fortune and kicked off what turned into a spectacular – and indiosyncratic – philanthropic career. Her first pet cause was addiction, fueled by her frustration with Ray’s lifelong drinking, and she sought out doctors and institutions who would study the disease and provide resources to other who suffered from it. From there, she moved to nuclear disarmament and end of life hospice support and a host of other causes that caught her attention.
The most interesting aspect of Ray & Joan is Napoli’s coverage of what prompted Joan to give money away. She was famously private, and hated being solicited or asked for money. When she gave, she almost always did it anonymously, in large part to prevent others from approaching her looking for a similar donation. She’d see someone on the news doing something that impressed her, and the next day a check would arrive from Joan. At the end of her life, she concentrated her giving on two recipients: NPR and the Salvation Army, though the enormous gifts she left both organizations upon her death came with strings and instructions that made them almost as burdensome (especially in the case of the Salvation Army) as they were lifesaving.
Napoli had a blank slate to work with, as no one had written about Joan Krok before, despite her enormous legacy. Napoli did a good job of unearthing the psychological roots of Joan’s motivations, and by the end I had a good sense of who Joan was, with all of her complications and contradictions. The book moves along pretty steadily, and it’s fascinating to track the path of Joan’s hundreds of millions of dollars.
Ray Kroc is best – if erroneously – known as the founder of McDonald’s. He didn’t actually start the company – the first McDonald’s was owned by two brothers in San Bernardino, CA – but Ray did develop the franchise model that turned McDonald’s into one of the world’s biggest brands, making himself a billionaire in the process. Ray’s third wife, Joan, to whom he was married when he died, gave away the billions of dollars in wealth that her husband created, and she is the subject of Lisa Napoli’s 2016 book, Ray & Joan.
The first half of Ray & Joan covers the history of the McDonald’s chain, including its dusty inception, and the early, lean years of Ray’s ownership of the company. A salesman at heart, he made many missteps along the way to success, each of which is covered in the book. Joan, meanwhile, was a young wife and mother when Ray laid eyes on her in a Minnesota nightclub, playing piano and singing. She stole his heart, and while it would be many years before they were together, he never forgot about her. Ray and Joan were fiery, opinionated people who fought often but were drawn together by a passion that survived three marriages to other people.
By the time the Krocs finally got together for good in 1969, Ray was already very wealthy. The causes that he chose to support were determined by his conservative political views, and Joan often felt limited in her ability to direct her husband’s philanthropy. She tolerated his purchase of the San Diego Padres and took a limited interest in his funding of business schools and various health causes.
But as Ray’s health declined, and after his death in 1984, Joan began to take charge of the family fortune and kicked off what turned into a spectacular – and indiosyncratic – philanthropic career. Her first pet cause was addiction, fueled by her frustration with Ray’s lifelong drinking, and she sought out doctors and institutions who would study the disease and provide resources to other who suffered from it. From there, she moved to nuclear disarmament and end of life hospice support and a host of other causes that caught her attention.
The most interesting aspect of Ray & Joan is Napoli’s coverage of what prompted Joan to give money away. She was famously private, and hated being solicited or asked for money. When she gave, she almost always did it anonymously, in large part to prevent others from approaching her looking for a similar donation. She’d see someone on the news doing something that impressed her, and the next day a check would arrive from Joan. At the end of her life, she concentrated her giving on two recipients: NPR and the Salvation Army, though the enormous gifts she left both organizations upon her death came with strings and instructions that made them almost as burdensome (especially in the case of the Salvation Army) as they were lifesaving.
Napoli had a blank slate to work with, as no one had written about Joan Krok before, despite her enormous legacy. Napoli did a good job of unearthing the psychological roots of Joan’s motivations, and by the end I had a good sense of who Joan was, with all of her complications and contradictions. The book moves along pretty steadily, and it’s fascinating to track the path of Joan’s hundreds of millions of dollars.
August 14, 2018
3.5 stars. I was asked to lead a book club that had chosen this as their book. I was a little wary at first because I'd heard some disappointing reviews. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the first half of the book. The history of how McDonald's as we know it came to be was fascinating and well-told. I was worried that the latter half of the book, where it's simply Joan giving away her inherited fortune, would lag. It did a bit, but I still found it interesting to learn more about the causes she supported and how the responsibility to give away so much money was one she took seriously. How wonderful it must feel to hand out checks to needy organizations for $100,000 as casually as the rest of us give $1 to the Salvation Army bell ringers at Christmas. Would I have spent the money as she did? Maybe not, but that was part of the fun in reading the book - how would I have spent the money?
I also enjoyed reading about the character who was Ray Kroc and his ascent as the king and founder of fast food. Though, who can we actually call the founder of McDonald's? Ray Kroc or the two brothers he insisted on buying out (and then opening a McDonald's a block away from the original stand they opened when they refused to sell it to them). I was telling my husband about him and how hard it is to have respect for a man who lets his lawyer tell his second wife that he wants a divorce (talk about NO spine), all while still being in love with a woman he'd met many years before (when he was married the first time!). But I can have respect for the vision and sheer determination he showed in his professional life. But it begs the question - do uber successful business people always have to be slightly unsavory?
I also enjoyed reading about the character who was Ray Kroc and his ascent as the king and founder of fast food. Though, who can we actually call the founder of McDonald's? Ray Kroc or the two brothers he insisted on buying out (and then opening a McDonald's a block away from the original stand they opened when they refused to sell it to them). I was telling my husband about him and how hard it is to have respect for a man who lets his lawyer tell his second wife that he wants a divorce (talk about NO spine), all while still being in love with a woman he'd met many years before (when he was married the first time!). But I can have respect for the vision and sheer determination he showed in his professional life. But it begs the question - do uber successful business people always have to be slightly unsavory?
March 13, 2017
Another non-fiction book recommend by Overdrive for Women's History Month -- and one I would recommend as well!
I think most people know that while McDonald's was created as a roadside burger stand by two brothers named McDonald, that a man named Ray Kroc really turned it into the massive power that it remains today. This book tells the story of the McDonald brothers, and how Kroc sort of (okay, totally) bullied his way into their lives and business. It also tells the story of his great love: a woman named Joan, 26 years his junior, who originally had been married to a franchise owner. Ray and Joan had an on-again, off-again affair that eventually resulted in a tumultuous marriage -- one in which she wielded his great fortune like a tool to help just about everyone she possibly could.
I enjoyed the history of McDonald's -- like how they only hired clean-cut military men at first because women were too distracting in the workplace. Ray Kroc sounds like a total asshole, but man did he believe in his vision. After his death in 1983, Joan took over his charity foundation and allowed others to run the corporation's board. And then she just started giving money away -- she created the Ronald McDonald houses, wrote checks to needy people across the world, helped animal shelters and civic centers and libraries. Most amazing of all, she kept a lot of it anonymous, which means most of her charitable deeds were unknown until her death in 2003.
It's a well-written book about a couple of fascinating people. Long -- but it just flies by like a novel. My main complaint is that the 3 main women in Kroc's life -- his 2nd and 3rd wives and his secretary -- were named Jane, Joan and June! But it's a great read, and I'm happy to know that the massive amount of money I've spent on their delicious diet cokes has done some good in the world.
I think most people know that while McDonald's was created as a roadside burger stand by two brothers named McDonald, that a man named Ray Kroc really turned it into the massive power that it remains today. This book tells the story of the McDonald brothers, and how Kroc sort of (okay, totally) bullied his way into their lives and business. It also tells the story of his great love: a woman named Joan, 26 years his junior, who originally had been married to a franchise owner. Ray and Joan had an on-again, off-again affair that eventually resulted in a tumultuous marriage -- one in which she wielded his great fortune like a tool to help just about everyone she possibly could.
I enjoyed the history of McDonald's -- like how they only hired clean-cut military men at first because women were too distracting in the workplace. Ray Kroc sounds like a total asshole, but man did he believe in his vision. After his death in 1983, Joan took over his charity foundation and allowed others to run the corporation's board. And then she just started giving money away -- she created the Ronald McDonald houses, wrote checks to needy people across the world, helped animal shelters and civic centers and libraries. Most amazing of all, she kept a lot of it anonymous, which means most of her charitable deeds were unknown until her death in 2003.
It's a well-written book about a couple of fascinating people. Long -- but it just flies by like a novel. My main complaint is that the 3 main women in Kroc's life -- his 2nd and 3rd wives and his secretary -- were named Jane, Joan and June! But it's a great read, and I'm happy to know that the massive amount of money I've spent on their delicious diet cokes has done some good in the world.
May 16, 2021
Interesting story, not so much about Ray Kroc, but about his wife Joan who gave billions of dollars away, often anonymously. Most people are familiar with Ray Kroc's story, as well as with his overbearing personality. Joan Kroc's story is often lost with most thinking of her only as the woman whom Kroc abandoned his wife to marry. That's not quite the reality of the story. Joan Kroc was 26 years Ray Kroc's junior, and did not run off with him after she met him. In fact, when Joan did not do so, Ray Kroc married someone else.
Although the book does not focus as much on Kroc's story, it does contain the basics of how he built the McDonald's empire and what he was like as a boss and a person. Ray and Joan's story isn't so much a romance, but the typical story of how a wife had to put up with behaviors in a spouse that should have been unacceptable. Joan Kroc was mostly dutiful as Ray Kroc's spouse, but after he passed away in 1984, she carved out her own life. This life was dedicated to philanthropy, but not in a way that most knew who she was. She found charitable boards tedious, and often made million dollar donations on the spur of the moment after being moved by a particular cause or person. She also tried to make many donations anonymously so she wouldn't have to spend all of her time being asked for money. A few of her main donation were for NPR, the San Diego Zoo, Nuclear Disarmament, an alcohol abuse treatment center, and the Salvation Army. Before she passed away of brain cancer, Joan Kroc distributed close to 3 billion dollars.
Although the book does not focus as much on Kroc's story, it does contain the basics of how he built the McDonald's empire and what he was like as a boss and a person. Ray and Joan's story isn't so much a romance, but the typical story of how a wife had to put up with behaviors in a spouse that should have been unacceptable. Joan Kroc was mostly dutiful as Ray Kroc's spouse, but after he passed away in 1984, she carved out her own life. This life was dedicated to philanthropy, but not in a way that most knew who she was. She found charitable boards tedious, and often made million dollar donations on the spur of the moment after being moved by a particular cause or person. She also tried to make many donations anonymously so she wouldn't have to spend all of her time being asked for money. A few of her main donation were for NPR, the San Diego Zoo, Nuclear Disarmament, an alcohol abuse treatment center, and the Salvation Army. Before she passed away of brain cancer, Joan Kroc distributed close to 3 billion dollars.
March 19, 2018
I'm giving book five star because I can't give it four and a half. Loose a half star for horrendous writing. I almost walked away from the book after five pages because of he tbad writing. Bad sentence structure, bad paragraph structure, bad chronology.
But the story was so compelling that I couln't wait to hear what came next in the Kroc saga. While I knew who Rray Kroc was because I too have been a McDonald's employee, I didn't know anything about him. Wow! What a first class asshole. If I had known any thing about him I'd have boycotted McDonald's years ago. Maybe never ever worked there. Such a disgusting, mean, base person.
I only knew Joan Kroc was his wife and sponsored NPR because I hear her name on the radio every day. I had heard part of an interview with the author of this book. Enough that I was intrigued to read it. I am so glad I did. Joan Kroc was certainly no saint with some deep character flaws but I feel she is the model wealthy philanthropist. I give on a whim based on my passions just like she did, trying to make the world a better place. I dream of being able to give to causes the way she did. It's the whole reason I play the lottery. I had no idea of all of the good Joan Kroc did. We need more Joan Krocs and fewer Ray Krocs, though unfortunately I believe you have to have one in order to have the other.
But the story was so compelling that I couln't wait to hear what came next in the Kroc saga. While I knew who Rray Kroc was because I too have been a McDonald's employee, I didn't know anything about him. Wow! What a first class asshole. If I had known any thing about him I'd have boycotted McDonald's years ago. Maybe never ever worked there. Such a disgusting, mean, base person.
I only knew Joan Kroc was his wife and sponsored NPR because I hear her name on the radio every day. I had heard part of an interview with the author of this book. Enough that I was intrigued to read it. I am so glad I did. Joan Kroc was certainly no saint with some deep character flaws but I feel she is the model wealthy philanthropist. I give on a whim based on my passions just like she did, trying to make the world a better place. I dream of being able to give to causes the way she did. It's the whole reason I play the lottery. I had no idea of all of the good Joan Kroc did. We need more Joan Krocs and fewer Ray Krocs, though unfortunately I believe you have to have one in order to have the other.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews