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    Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
    Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
    Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
    Audiobook13 hours

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

    Written by Michael D'Antonio

    Narrated by Jonathan Yen

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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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 17, 2019
    ISBN9781977333988
    Author

    Michael D'Antonio

    Michael D’Antonio is the author of many acclaimed books, including Atomic Harvest, Fall from Grace, Tin Cup Dreams, Mosquito, and The State Boys Rebellion. His work has also appeared in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Discover, and many other publications. Among his many awards is the Pulitzer Prize, which he shared with a team of reporters for New York Newsday.

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    Reviews for Hershey

    4/5

    77 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      It was good and interesting I do recommend a little long though
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed the history of the company , the man and the Hershey, PA community. The legacy of M.S. Hershey lives on in every Hershey Bar
    • 4/5
      Extraordinary 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.
    • 3/5
      An 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.