The Emperors of Chocolate

The Emperors of Chocolate

by Joel Glenn Brenner (Joel is a girl, by the way) Yay! I finally finished a book! This is the first book I have read cover to cover since starting this blog (I have stalled on a couple of others with a little bit heavier subject content). So, here's what I have to say:

It's very interesting. Haha, I know - get a little more creative with my adjectives, right? Well, I could, but really the book is just interesting. It is basically a really long newspaper article that takes you, as the subtitle states, "Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars", and highlights several other candy companies on the way. I really enjoyed reading the beginning of the book and learning about Milton Hershey and John Mars' different entrepreneurial styles, and how it effected each comany. I also liked the tension created by the surprising competition and sometimes extreme secrecy prevalent in the industry. It slowed down a little for me in the third and fourth generations when the focus went from American shelf space to techniques of world domination and stockholders, but that was probably because most of it was over my head. It was a good book though - very interesting, very educational, but be careful, it might make you think twice about who makes your chocolate. I give it two thumbs up (but just know that I don't think I've ever given a book two thumbs down. I don't think I've ever even given a book one thumb down... mmmhhh....).