Rachel DickinsonAmerican Dynasties: A History of Founding and Influential American Families

Review of Rachel Dickinson’sAmerican Dynasties: A History of Founding and Influential American FamiliesWhen we were young, we well remember reading about Cornelius “The Commodore” Vanderbilt creating his transportation empire from nothing. What we did not read in our history books about the distinctly American myth of how ingenuity and hard work could build fortunes was the squandering of vast fortunes by successive generations of these icons. Although there is definitely truth behind the American capitalist mythology of American dynasties, as shown in Rachel Dickinson’s new book American Dynasties: A History of Founding and Influential American Families, her historical work also shows undercurrents in the concept of American “royalty.”Focused not only on the founding of families of power and money, Dickinson’s new book gives equal weight to dynasties of fame in families of artists, actors, musicians, and a Hopi-Tewa lineage of great potters. This surprising and wonderfully welcome section of her book is as intriguing as those sections relating to the darker aspects of money and power in American family pedigrees. Everything from assassination attempts and kidnappings to ordering a disastrous response to a prison riot and an ill-fated voyage on the Titanic, Dickinson’s historical work reveals the Adams, Fords, Morgans, Astors, Gettys, Rockefellers, Hearsts, Coors, and Kennedys, as well as the Nampeyos and Wyeths. This highly informative text brings to light little-known facts in the important histories of these influential American families.

I was hoping that this book would become a ready reference on my shelf for my own writings about American history, and it certainly will be that. Dickinson digs up plenty of facts about each family's rise to power and prominence in a wide range of fields, from oil production to politics and even art. She doesn't spare their foibles, either, even when these folks were downright criminal and cruel to their own offspring. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the lives of the rich and famous.

I am used to thinking of "American Dynasty" families as the usual robber baron-type suspects. This collection delivers a wider array, including beer brewing, artists, musicians, and a native-American potter. I appreciated Dickinson's more inclusive view of what constitutes a prominent family and quest to write more people into history, and her nod in the forward to how much more can be done in this effort. This book is a good start. It does not give an exhaustive dive into just one family, as these tomes often do. Rather it provides a good reference and a lot of interesting details about several dynasties and invites the reader to consider how their trajectories are similar and different.

This is a great "inside" look at some of the most important families in America. Familiar names--Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Getty, Hearst, Wyeth and many others. Dickinson tell us how they rose to prominence and how some of them fall from power in quiet or spectacular ways. A really good read.

Rachel Dickerson has pulled off the difficult job of making significant periods of American history accessible, using synopses of the formational families who shaped those eras. Very readable with lots of intriguing tidbits along the way. Loved it.

While you may recognize many of the family names, you might not know how/where they started -- and where they ended up. Dickinson does a wonderful job of laying out the history of these iconic American clans with interesting details on their rise and sometimes fall. A quick and enjoyable read!

I appreciated the structure of American Dynasties, and enjoyed reading about all the generations in each family. It was interesting to read about the Kennedy family, since I remember so much of the history. I especially liked the sections on the Wyeth painters, and on Nampeyo, the Hopi-Tewa potter. Dickinson has a spare, entertaining writing style. She must have spent an incredible amount of time doing research.

What an interesting glimpse at the greater-known American family dynasties. Dickinson organizes her expose into three neat categories of power, wealth, and fame. This pillared structure, with detailed facts and anecdotes, makes it easier to compare the families and their achievements, expectations, and pitfalls over three generations. Patterns arise. The author notes that the first generation “always sets the tone.” Although such tones may help build power, wealth, and fame, but they often dismantle family relationships and even create public messes. One example from the book, John D. Rockefeller III states, “Father always has his own way. He is so wonderfully broad in business relations but so narrow in some of his family details.” American Dynasties: A History of Founding and Influential American Families is a worthwhile read in pondering the combination of family dynamics and sustainable legacies.

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