Audiobook13 hours
Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
Written by Michael D'Antonio
Narrated by Jonathan Yen
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
The name Hershey evokes many things: chocolate bars, the company town in Pennsylvania, one of America's most recognizable brands. But who was the man behind the name? In this compelling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D'Antonio gives us the real-life rags-to-riches story of Milton S. Hershey, a largely uneducated businessman whose idealistic sense of purpose created an immense financial empire, a town, and a legacy that lasts to this day.
Hershey, the son of a minister's daughter and an irresponsible father who deserted the family, began his career inauspiciously when the two candy shops he opened both went bankrupt. Undeterred, he started the Lancaster Caramel Company, which brought him success at last. Eventually he sold his caramel operation and went on to perfect the production process of chocolate to create a stable, consistent bar with a long shelf life . . . and an American icon was born.
Hershey was more than a successful businessman-he was a progressive thinker who believed in capitalism as a means to higher goals. He built the world's largest chocolate factory and a utopian village for his workers on a large tract of land in rural Pennsylvania, and used his own fortune to keep his workers employed during the Great Depression. In addition, he secretly willed his fortune to a boys' school and orphanage, both of which now control a vast endowment.
Extensively researched and vividly written, Hershey is the fascinating story of this uniquely American visionary.
Hershey, the son of a minister's daughter and an irresponsible father who deserted the family, began his career inauspiciously when the two candy shops he opened both went bankrupt. Undeterred, he started the Lancaster Caramel Company, which brought him success at last. Eventually he sold his caramel operation and went on to perfect the production process of chocolate to create a stable, consistent bar with a long shelf life . . . and an American icon was born.
Hershey was more than a successful businessman-he was a progressive thinker who believed in capitalism as a means to higher goals. He built the world's largest chocolate factory and a utopian village for his workers on a large tract of land in rural Pennsylvania, and used his own fortune to keep his workers employed during the Great Depression. In addition, he secretly willed his fortune to a boys' school and orphanage, both of which now control a vast endowment.
Extensively researched and vividly written, Hershey is the fascinating story of this uniquely American visionary.
Author
Michael D'Antonio
As part of a team of journalists from Newsday, MICHAEL D'ANTONIO won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting before going on to write many acclaimed books, including Atomic Harvest, The State Boys Rebellion, and The Truth About Trump. He has also written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, and Sports Illustrated. He lives in New York.
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Reviews for Hershey
Rating: 4.058441579220779 out of 5 stars
4/5
77 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was good and interesting I do recommend a little long though
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enjoyed the history of the company , the man and the Hershey, PA community. The legacy of M.S. Hershey lives on in every Hershey Bar
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extraordinary life is right. Hershey was present at the Columbian Expedition in Chicago and the Centennial in Philadelphia. He worked in Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City before moving back to the Lancaster area where he was born to open his caramel factory. Fortunately he moved on to chocolate and a fortune and juggernaut was born.I learned so much and found the book to read like a novel. Dense with facts, it never bogged down or became overwhelming. I thoroughly enjoyed it and now want to visit to see for myself what so many others have enjoyed.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An interesting book, which often focuses more on Hershey's accomplishments as a town-builder and patron of orphans than on the building of the chocolate business. I would have liked for some of the people to come alive more (Hershey does, and his wife, but rarely others). But they don't seem to have left behind much personal information, whereas the town of Hershey is well-documented.