October Book Review <3
I was determined to finish this book, Hershey; Milton S. Hershey’s Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire and Utopian Dreams by Michael D’Antonio, in October. So for the last four days I have read a specified number of pages. I admit I skimmed the last few, but I did get it finished. I think this was one I got out of one of the “Little Free Library” boxes here in town.
The book is obviously about Mllton S. Hershey and believe me, they do not leave out a detail. It opens with the possibility in the early 2000’s that the Hershey Company is on the block to be sold. At stake is the school, community and a kind of American Utopia that is Hershey, PA and the Hershey candy company.
From this opening in the time the book was written, the author begins before the beginning with Henry Hershey, Milton’s father. It follows his unhappy marriage to Fanny, the daughter of a wealthy Lancaster, Pennsylvania family. After multiple failures, Fanny leaves Henry and she and her sister basically raise Milton.
His is a rags to riches story with many, many detours and so many encounters with American history of economy, war and politics that I became overwhelmed with information. To name a few; he built and sustained his vision through the 1893 World’s Fair, two World Wars, the Stock Market Crash, the Depression, America’s expansion of business and pleasure in Cuba, the Progressive movement, labor unrest and the development of unions and all the political issues that accompanied these.
He married later in life and his wife Catherine was quite at bit younger than him. They traveled extensively in Europe and around the United States. When he finally mastered the art of chocolate making, it was while he was building a factory and developing a city that would be the place where his workers would live.
Yes, he started all of the building for the equipment he had purchased BEFORE he actually had figured out the secret to making the product that would make his fortune. And on top of that, it was not M. S. Hershey that actually owned the company as the success grew. The major stockholder was the school he developed for orphans.
But before we get overly dewy eyed, it was for only boys who met certain requirements. While Hershey did a lot of good, he was very much a complex man and fully human. This book explores all sides of him through the impressions of those who knew him. Overall, even people who had some kind of complaint about him still respected him and he was well loved by the city of Hershey long after his death.
Like several other books I have read about history, I realize that my understanding of our country’s past was one of limited exposure to the stories in school of how we got here. This is an honest and informative book about the culture, politics, business practices and all the flaws and corruptions of these that might seem familiar to us today.
Definitely a good read…but not light, for sure.
I would recommend it and am happy to pass it along to anyone who is interested (after Russ gets a shot at it!)
Blessings and have a good weekend <3