... riveting.

Excellent topic. Excellent scope. Excellent writing.

... wonderfully detailed.

While diving into the inner thoughts of her subjects, Berfield simultaneously encompasses the political and social revolt of the moment, examining the anthracite coal strike.

That someone must exercise dominion over the national economy is the erroneous premise of this story of almost pure good and pure evil. The free play of market forces makes its appearance only as an idea that history had supposedly passed by. Class conflict fills the gap.

Bloomberg Businessweek journalist Berfield well portrays the major characters of this struggle without excessive detail, and her insights into both Roosevelt and Morgan make them seem quite contemporary. Includes photographs and bibliographic notes..

In her well-paced debut...investigative reporter Berfield ambitiously juggles several historic threads from a turbulent time in America: soaring immigration, labor unrest in the face of low wages and dangerous conditions, the seemingly untrammeled ambitions of big business, and the clamor for public accountability and oversight.

...a vivid account of the early 20th-century battle of wills between President Theodore Roosevelt and financier J.P. Morgan.