LearnHub getAbstract
Hershey
Book

Hershey

Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams

Michael D'Antonio
Simon & Schuster, 2006
Buy book or audiobook

Read Offline or Discuss

Amazon Kindle  Discuss

Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Michael D’Antonio has achieved a rare balance in this best-selling biography. He recounts a complex life story that it is often as vividly exciting as a good novel, but he carefully and factually grounds it as solid history. What’s more, he balances an element of exposé with respect for his subject. D’Antonio shares all the lurid gossip about Milton S. Hershey and outlines all of the chocolate manufacturer’s flaws and limitations. Nevertheless, he retains a respectful tone in absorbing, readable prose. He shows how some of Hershey’s good deeds may have included elements of self-interest, whimsy or even neurosis, but he does not dismiss their essential goodness. Finally, he explains how Hershey’s personal qualities led to his success, and how larger social trends shaped his business. getAbstract recommends this book to those who are interested in industrial history, and to those who love chocolate and are intrigued by the man and the business behind the quintessential American candy bar.

Summary

Why "What Would Milton Do?" Still Matters

In 2002, the board of the Hershey School Trust planned to sell its Hershey Food Corporations stock. The sale would have allowed the Trust to diversify its holdings and reduce the risk it had been exposed to by having so much of its assets invested in a single stock. Since the stock was valued as high as $10 billion and the Trust held a controlling interest in the corporations, you might have expected such a proposal to generate public and shareholder attention. But, unless you knew the particular history of Hershey - the man, the corporation, the Trust and the town - you would have been unprepared for the protests that filled Hershey, Pennsylvania, where the aroma in the air changes from milk chocolate to dark chocolate as you drive along the town’s main streets, Chocolate and Cocoa Avenues, which are lit by streetlamps shaped like Kisses.

The surprise was not that the townspeople split over the decision. You’d expect that for any major public issue. The surprise was that people felt so dedicated to Milton S. ("M.S.") Hershey so long after his death. People who had never met him asked, "What would Milton do?" or "What would...

About the Author

Michael D’Antonio’s work has appeared in Discover, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine, among many others. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for his work for Newsday. He also wrote Tour 72 and co-authored Mosquito and The Fourth Mega-Market.

Comment on this summary