Murder, Power, and Greed in the U-Haul family dynasty. This is a beautifully written and very interesting story of the Shoen family, the U-Haul family business, and the growth of the move-it-yourself industry. Founder and patriarch L. S. Shoen gifted 97% of the common stock to his 12 children by three different wives only to be voted out of his own company by his children. He then witnessed family warfare of near epic proportions among his children. More than 15 lawsuits were filed, culminating in a libel suit by the two sons who control the company against their father for suggesting they may have been responsible for the murder of Eva Shoen, wife of the oldest son who had remained loyal to his father. It is a story of greed and lust for power run amok, and is the ultimate cautionary tale to any family owned business about what not to do.

As I often do after reading an interesting book, I tracked down the author for a quick interview. Although he was guarded in his comments by threats of lawsuits, he did say that today, L. S. Shoen wishes he had never founded the company, let alone given it to his children. The story of U-Haul and the parent company, Amerco, is still making headlines today as revenues and profits are reaching new highs. This book deserves a place on your family business bookshelf. A must read.