Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty

Heirs to a band-aid and baby-powder fortune, the Johnsons have enjoyed unimaginable wealth since Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886--But their personal lives have been marred by bitter feuds, violent and costly divorces, sexual aberrations, and myriad tragedies. One of the most iconic American dynasties, the Johnsons have often mirrored the Kennedy clan's dark side. Their entrepreneurial prowess has brought them enormous power and success in business, but in private their lives have been haunted by misfortune. Now, in this scrupulously researched biography, New York times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer places the Johnson & Johnson dynasty under a journalistic microscope, as he reveals the secrets behind their immense power, extraordinary wealth, and provocative dramas. There was "The General," the contemporary patriarch who humiliatingly fired his son as president of the family business, both dying of cancer soon after. Dynasty legal wars were rampant over wills, inheritances, paternity, and even the word "spouse." One Johnson scion went through a $100 million divorce before his second marriage gave him the namesake he so desperately wanted. From the founders in the late-nineteenth century who brought the world scores of health-care and first-aid products with the Red Cross as their logo, to the contemporary Johnsons, including the billionaire owner of the New York Jets, Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, Oppenhemier explores how the family's riches have had a corrupting and toxic impact.