Betty Burford (1930–2012)

When I finished reading "Chocolate by Hershey" I was very satisfied with the way the book portrayed Milton Hershey's life. I enjoyed reading about Milton Hershey and how his childhood impacted his career.
The author expressed how his mother and father had high hopes for Milton, especially after his sister passed away. With their extrinsic motivation and Milton's intrinsic motivation he began to work and in trade. The book continued to inform the reader about Milton's jobs he had until he became successful (such as his internship at a printing press); and an apprenticeship working with chocolate. The biography sheds positive light on Milton Hershey, which I really liked. The story talks about his struggle and difficult family life as well as other adversities he had to face (regarding money), but never once did the author call Hershey a failure. She focused on how he over came the barriers to become a successful business man. I like the way the author chose to portray his life because so many students can identify with Hershey's struggles, but when students read how he turned his life around and became the well known entrepreneur they can be inspired to do the same. Milton Hershey's parents were separated and his father was not in his life very often which is a common theme among families presently. He, however, continued to do his best and never let the past hold him back. Students can learn from Hershey; he is a role model they can identify with and see his impact on chocolate (and amusement parks).… (mere)

Nearly everyone has heard of Hershey’s chocolates, and most people have eaten either a Hershey Bar or a Hershey’s Kiss. Milton Snavely Hershey (1857–1945) was born near the little town of Derry Church, PA, to Henry and "Fanny" Hershey who were of German-Swiss heritage and members of Pennsylvania's Mennonite community. After receiving his education at the one-room schoolhouse in Derry Church, the Rockridge School, and four other schools, and being fired as an apprentice to a newspaper editor, Milton became an apprentice in Lancaster, PA, with a confectioner named Joe Royer and learned the trade of candy making.
Hershey tried to get established in the candy business at Philadelphia, PA; Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; New Orleans, LA; and New York City, NY. However, he was not successful until he returned to Lancaster and founded the Lancaster Caramel Company. Following a visit to England, he decided to switch the focus of his business to chocolate, bought a huge cornfield outside his birthplace of Derry Church, and built a chocolate factory. To provide for his workers, he created the town of Hershey with comfortable homes, an inexpensive public transportation system, a quality public school system, and extensive recreational and cultural opportunities. Also, he used his fortune to establish a school for underprivileged children and made Hershey into a tourist attraction with many points of interest such as a visitor’s center, a zoo, an amusement park, and a museum. Hershey married Kitty Sweeney in 1898, but she died prematurely in 1915, and the couple had no children.
This book is one of the “Creative Minds Biography” series from the Lerner Publishing Co. We visited Hershey, PA, last year, and I picked up this book in the Milton S. Hershey Museum gift shop as a memento of our time there. Author Betty Burford does a great job of explaining to youngsters how Hershey struggled to establish himself in the candy business and describing how he used his wealth to benefit others. The black-and-white illustrations by Loren Chantland are somewhat grainy and reminiscent of photographs from the period. Lerner has published some twenty or so other Creative Minds Biographies, including Mr. Blue Jeans: A Story About Levi Strauss by Maryann N. Weldt.… (mere)