The Kingdom

A rags to riches story about one of the more powerful families in Texas. Arizona Slim was originally from Illinois. He hopped around the country trying his hand at various things (including college). One thing he was good at was gambling and speculation. He speculated in land and then oil leases. His gambling contributed and funded the speculations in land and oil leases. His spectatular success in the oil fields of Texas and Arkansas led to his becoming the richest man in the world. He was also married to two women at the same time. His political beliefs were far right and based on the amount of money a man owned (cashocracy). His son blew a large portion of his inheritance on trying to corner the silver market. Last I heard, he was in bankruptcy. This is a great story about a rich family. I was surprised at the story of this family. Tuccille writes his book as if it were a novel, but it is all true. This is a very nice read.

I had little knowledge of the Hunt Family, but I was able to relate to the times and events the book covered. It intermingled many events in our past and supported some theories about Kennedy's death. I felt it made me question the material goals we set for ourselves. I also realized no matter what we achieve materially the greatest needs or wishes in life cannot be corrected.