This book begins with Conrad Hilton, a man with a dream. He made investments in hotels, and his refusal to default on his loans during The Great Depression bolstered his reputation as someone who was dependable and trustworthy. He had expanded his hotel business to the global scale, which was really impressive to me, as he started out with literally nothing. Conrad married his first wife, Mary, and had three children. Conrad II, Barron, and Eric. (I found it interesting that he was a hotel man and has children named after himself, Barron and Eric.....and most recently Donald Trump had a child named after himself, as well as children called Barron and Eric.) Conrad remarried an actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and had one child with her. (She later claimed that he raped her during their marriage, which was how she conceived. The child, Francesca, died in 2015 after several years of courtroom and media battles for recognition.) He eventually married again, and that marriage lasted until his death. He had an interesting relationship with his religion as well.

Conrad II, known as Nicky, was Elizabeth Taylor's first husband. Zsa Zsa reported that he had also had an affair with her as well while she was his stepmother. Elizabeth and Nicky divorced after eight months, citing his abusive behavior and drinking. He married another lady, Patricia, having two sons with her. He ultimately died from alcohol related heart problems.

Barron was very business oriented like his father. He oversaw the operations of the business, and, in his own right, was an accomplished pilot. He served in the US Navy. He wound up with eight children. He was also one of the founders of the American Football League, and the original owner of the LA Chargers. His son, Richard, would go on to be the father of Paris and Nicky Hilton, who mostly everyone is familiar with these days. Paris has recently been back in the public eye due to her speaking out against Provo Canyon School and their abuse of teens.

Overall, this book was well researched and very informative. I learned so much about the Hilton family. Prior to this, I was only aware that they were a hotel family, as well as Paris being in the media when I was a teenager for partying and her ditzy persona. In actuality, she seems like a very intelligent person, and I am glad to see her standing up for herself and others who were mistreated at the Provo Canyon School. I plan to look more into that issue. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in United States family dynasties.