Today I finished the new biography of M.S. Hershey of Hershey chocolate fame by Michael D'Antonio. I really enjoyed this book. The cover of the book clearly states that it was "neither authorized nor sponsored by the Hershey Company," which made me think that it would be fairly critical of the man who would create the most successful chocolate company in the country, as well as an idyllic little town that smells of chocolate. Instead, D'Antonio is fairly complimentary of the Mr. Hershey. At the same time, he does a good job of showing the good and bad sides of his personality.
I enjoyed learning more about his life. Despite his humble beginnings, he did some amazing things in his life. I had no idea how many different projects he had going on - the chocolate company, the creation of an entire town, the organization of an orphanage with the largest endowment in history, a first-rate medical center, everything.
I always kind of wonder what makes people become the people they become. Lots of people start out with nothing, try to make it big in whatever it is that they pursue, but never end up succeeding. But a few folks actually do it. Whenever I read a book about someone who has done it, I wonder why they were able to succeed. I rarely get any answers, but it's always interesting. I guess Horatio Alger was onto something - it certainly takes a lot of pluck - Hershey worked hard, harder than most, even struck out in his several early attempts at the candy business. But it also takes luck - many of Hershey's successes were directly tied to a lucky break of some sort.
Anyway, it was a great read. For those who enjoy biographies, I would highly recommend it. Now I want to make another trip to Hershey to see Cocoa Avenue again.
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