I love these kinds of books because they paint a
portrait not just of the subject of the story, but also the era in which the
subject came from. It is as much a story of the time as it is of the Kellogg
brothers that make their unprecedented success even possible.
In The Kelloggs:
The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek, physician, scholar and bestselling
author Howard Markel, perfectly captures the era that plays the setting for
John Harvey Kellogg, a nationally renowned physician, publisher, bestselling
author and speaker and his brother Will, the founder of the Battle Creek
Toasted Corn Flake Company and food production revolutionary to rise to a level
of success that placed them in national prominence.
It is unlikely that two gentlemen could rise to that
stature without the era in which they found success playing a major role; a
sign of the times if you will. John Harvey attracted a celebrity following to
his medically based spa/hotel dubbed the Battle Creek Sanitarium where he
focused of curing the symptoms of indigestion and brought the religious fervor
to the Seventh Day Adventist pursuit of sound body, mind and hygiene. His
following included some of the biggest names in business; Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller
Jr., and self-help guru Dale Carnegie. He also played the role of advisor to
Presidents; Taft, Harding and FDR.
Markel also turns an eye toward the incessant, competitive
nature of the relationship between the two brothers. The one up man ship and
the striving for advantage was a cornerstone that their less than familial
relationship was built upon. If you are
a fan of things like the History Channel’s, The Men Who Built America, then The Kelloggs, will be right up your
alley.
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