Episode 44: Writer John Seabrook: From Fields of Ambition to a Fallen Empire

For those who want an extra visual component, this episode is also available on YouTube.

This month, Roberta sits down with The New Yorker writer John Seabrook to talk about his new book The Spinach King, a chronicle of the rise and fall of his family's empire: Seabrook Farms. Recently selected as one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2025 by the New York Times, it tells a story of ambition, innovation, and betrayal that built, and ultimately destroyed, one of America’s largest agricultural empires.

Things We Talked About This Episode:

• John Seabrook’s The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
• John Seabrooks’ writings for The New Yorker
• LIfe and Labor at Seabrook Farms, Rutgers University
• Seabrook Farms documentary short
• 1934 Seabrook Farms Strike: Black Workers in the Agricultural Industry of South Jersey 
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Episode Credits

• Our thanks to John Seabrook for joining us today.
• A Bend in the Road is written, hosted, and produced by Roberta Panjwani and created by Roberta Panjwani and Diane Sims.
• Our Assistant Producer and Digital Media Producer for this episode is Elias Rosner. 
• Our Editors are Roberta Panjwani and Elias Rosner. 
• Our Technical Directors and Audio Engineers are Matt Giannotti and Elias Rosner.
• Original Music is written and performed by Diane Sims.
• Clip from the 1934 Seabrook Farms Strike clip is courtesy Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, and the clip from the Seabrook Farms documentary is courtesy Indie Tommy Tips Restore and Review.
• Logo and Website created by Parker Gaidimas.