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On Road Gang Radio, Jimmy Mac sits down with acclaimed author and longtime New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook to discuss his riveting new book, The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty. In this sweeping family memoir, Seabrook digs deep into the legacy of his grandfather, C.F. Seabrook—once hailed as “the Henry Ford of agriculture”—who built a frozen vegetable empire that transformed American diets and mechanized farming.
But behind the prosperity was a darker tale: one of exploitation, racial segregation, union-busting violence, and personal downfall. From Japanese American internment survivors laboring in New Jersey fields to a family's collapse under the weight of secrets and ambition, Seabrook delivers a haunting portrait of American progress at a price. Tune in for a powerful conversation on innovation, legacy, and the cost of empire-building in the heartland.
On Road Gang Radio, Jimmy Mac sits down with acclaimed author and longtime New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook to discuss his riveting new book, The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty. In this sweeping family memoir, Seabrook digs deep into the legacy of his grandfather, C.F. Seabrook—once hailed as “the Henry Ford of agriculture”—who built a frozen vegetable empire that transformed American diets and mechanized farming.
But behind the prosperity was a darker tale: one of exploitation, racial segregation, union-busting violence, and personal downfall. From Japanese American internment survivors laboring in New Jersey fields to a family's collapse under the weight of secrets and ambition, Seabrook delivers a haunting portrait of American progress at a price. Tune in for a powerful conversation on innovation, legacy, and the cost of empire-building in the heartland.