Extensively researched and vividly written by Pulitzer Prize--winning
journalist Michael D'Antonio, Hershey is the fascinating story of the
unique American visionary Milton S. Hershey.
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.
