| Plot Summary of Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes |
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" Howard Hughes became famous after an historic flight around the world, producing Hollywood movies, building Las Vegas casinos and resorts, and constructing a fleet of airplanes. Hughes was also famous for bilking the American taxpayer out of tens of millions of dollars through his philanthropic projects, projects whose sole purpose seemed to be his personal enrichment. Hughes also lied to the stockholders of his company, assisted Senator Joseph McCarthy's congressional hearings, and was an outspoken supporter of racial segregation.
Hughes was born Howard Robard Hughes Jr., on December 24, 1905 in Humble, Texas. His date of birth is a matter of debate, as Hughes himself claimed that he was born on Christmas Eve, but baptismal records show that he was born on September 24. His father, Howard Sr., invented the tri-cone roller bit, an invention which allowed companies to drill for oil in places that had been previously inaccessible. Hughes Sr. would found the Hughes Tool Company in order to market his invention, and this company would hold a virtual monopoly on drill bits for many years. When Howard Jr. grew up, he would move to Hollywood, become a movie producer, become romantically involved with many of the leading starlets of that time such as Jane Russell and Katherine Hepburn. Hughes would also become the head of TWA. In his later years he fell into a state of degenerative madness that would make him a both a prisoner who was afraid to leave his hotel room, and a recluse.
Howard Hughes had everything that a man could want, except happiness. He was wealthy in terms of dollars and cents, but poverty stricken in terms of peace of mind. "
Nathaniel Ford, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession:
- businessman
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Period of greatest activity?
- 1900+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age:
- long lived adults
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
Biography of famous person?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 (a good amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Century:
- 1930's-1950's
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of nearly entire life
If this is a kid's book:
- Age 16-Adult
How much dialogue in bio?
- significantly more descript than dialog
A LOT of info about personal vices?
Yes
Lot of titilating info about love life?
Yes
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 51%-75% of book
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