Book Log 2006 #54: Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen
A combined history of a product and a family, Sweet and Low tells the tale of how the Cumberland Packing Corporation went from a small time independent sugar packager to dominating the artificial sweetener market, and the familial implosion that came in the wake of success. It also purports to tell the history of post-WW2 Brooklyn and America's obsession with weight and dieting, though in those areas I think the book description is a little over the top.
Even so, the story that the book does tell is fascinating, especially as you see how the changes in the business changed the family and vice versa. It helps that the story is spiced with things like disinheritance, embezzlement, and Mob ties. The book jacket - which gives the basic story in comic form - is icing on the cake. Definitely recommended.
27 November 2006
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