Mondo Agnelli: Fiat, Chrysler, and the Power of a Dynasty

Italys Agnelli dynasty is fascinating for all the same reasons that the Kennedy clan has held readers spellbound for decades. Its an uber-rich, powerful and glamorous family with a story that has all the ingredients of a soap opera: money, beauty, sexual escapades, suicide, drugs, scandal, tragedy, politics, and stunning real estate. Whats more, this tale has something Americans love a business dynasty that triumphs over adversity because of its own smarts, sweat and ability to bend the rules. The book revolves around two central, opposite characters: Gianni Agnelli, the titan of industry who managed to make Fiat into a symbol of Italys postwar vitality while leading a second life as an international jet setter; and Giannis serious, quiet and determined grandson John, who inherited control of Fiat from Gianni when it was nearly bankrupt and struggled against all odds -- to make it into an international trailblazer when it grabbed control of Chrysler in a risky deal in 2009.