D'Antonio pens the first full biography of one of the most successful and unusual business titans of the 20th century--Milton Hershey--and a startling history of how his commanding fortune shaped a unique utopian legacy.

The name "Hershey" is synonymous the world over with only the sweetest associations-a philanthropic, self-made millionaire, a bucolic Pennsylvania farm town, and of course, chocolate. As Milton Hershey amassed his fortune in the early 1900s from the colossally successful Hershey Chocolate Company, he put it back into the community, and nowhere was this generosity more visible than in the founding of the Milton Hershey School. Intended as a haven for fatherless orphan boys, the school took in young boarders with the intention of instilling them with Christian values, a strong work ethic, and the promise of a better future. But all was not what it seemed. The Chocolate Trust tells a different history of the Milton Hershey School-a story of children who worked the farms as indentured pupils, and who were often mistreated or violated by those on staff. It tells the story of a trust that has raked in billions of dollars in endowments, dollars that are steered away from the intended beneficiaries-the children. And it looks at the recent history of the school, and a decade that has seen more dropouts than graduates. Bob Fernandez's riveting and sobering account of the Milton Hershey School uncovers how funds were diverted from the school and put toward the multimillion-dollar Hershey Medical Center, a luxury golf course and an expansion of Hershey Entertainment, all while state officials and Trust businessmen claimed that there just weren't enough poor children in America to help. Through shrewd reporting and original accounts, The Chocolate Trust makes it clear that the legacy of the Milton Hershey School has made Hershey, Pennsylvania far from "the sweetest place on earth." Book jacket.

In Chocolate We Trust takes readers inside modern-day Hershey, Pennsylvania, headquarters of the iconic Hershey brand. A destination for chocolate enthusiasts since the early 1900s, Hershey has transformed from a model industrial town into a multifaceted suburbia powered by philanthropy. At its heart lies the Milton Hershey School Trust, a charitable trust with a mandate to serve "social orphans" and a $12 billion endowment amassed from Hershey Company profits. The trust is a longstanding source of pride for people who call Hershey home and revere its benevolent capitalist founder—but in recent years it has become a subject of controversy and intrigue. Using interviews, participant observation, and archival research, anthropologist Peter Kurie returns to his hometown to examine the legacy of the Hershey Trust among local residents, company employees, and alumni of the K-12 Milton Hershey School. He arrives just as a scandal erupts that raises questions about the outsized power of the private trust over public life. Kurie draws on diverse voices across the community to show how philanthropy stirs passions and interests well beyond intended beneficiaries. In Chocolate We Trust reveals the cultural significance of Hershey as a forerunner to socially conscious corporations and the cult of the entrepreneur-philanthropist. The Hershey story encapsulates the dreams and wishes of today's consumer-citizens: the dream of becoming personally successful, and the wish that the most affluent among us will serve the common good.

Chocolate has long been a favorite indulgence. But behind every chocolate bar we unwrap, there is a world of power struggles and political maneuvering over its most important ingredient: cocoa. In this incisive book, Kristy Leissle reveals how cocoa, which brings pleasure and wealth to relatively few, depends upon an extensive global trade system that exploits the labor of five million growers, as well as countless other workers and vulnerable groups. The reality of this dramatic inequity, she explains, is often masked by the social, cultural, emotional, and economic values humans have placed upon cocoa from its earliest cultivation in Mesoamerica to the present day. Tracing the cocoa value chain from farms in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, through to chocolate factories in Europe and North America, Leissle shows how cocoa has been used as a political tool to wield power over others. Cocoa's politicization is not, however, limitless: it happens within botanical parameters set by the crop itself, and the material reality of its transport, storage, and manufacture into chocolate. As calls for justice in the industry have grown louder, Leissle reveals the possibilities for and constraints upon realizing a truly sustainable and fulfilling livelihood for cocoa growers, and for keeping the world full of chocolate.

The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is ancient history. But no one at Trinity School can forget the Chocolate War. Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organization called the Vigils, still has some torturous assignments to hand out before he graduates. In spite of this pleasure, Archie is troubled that his right-hand man, Obie, has started to move away from the Vigils. Luckily Archie knows his stooges will fix that. But Obie has some plans of his own.

For every woman who knows a little chocolate is good for the soul. Stimulating. Satisfying. Tantilizing. Delicious. Chocolate is that sweet “something extra” that infuses anything ordinary with delectable flavor and zest. In the same way, loving friendships can sweeten a woman’s life and make almost any situation — good or bad — taste even better. Blending true stories and several original choclate recipes with rich biblical examples, Karen Porter explores eight ways that friends can help one another enjoy life — and point each other to the God who made every good and perfect gift — especially chocolate!

From the author of Once Upon a Wine, a new novel set in the charming seashore town of Black Dog Bay, Delaware. When everything has gone to the dogs . . . When Jocelyn Hillier is named legal guardian for the late Mr. Allardyce’s pack of pedigreed Labrador retrievers, her world is flipped upside down. She’s spent her entire life toiling in the tourism industry in Black Dog Bay and never expected to be living the pampered life of a seasonal resident in an ocean side mansion, complete with a generous stipend. But her new role isn’t without its challenges: The dogs (although lovable) are more high-maintenance than any Hollywood diva, the man she wants to marry breaks her heart, and she’s confronted at every turn by her late benefactor’s estranged son, Liam, who thinks he’s entitled to the inheritance left to the dogs. Jocelyn has worked too hard to back down without a fight, and she’s determined to keep her new fur family together. As she strives to uphold the “Best in Show” standards her pack requires, Jocelyn finds love, family, and forgiveness in the most unexpected places.