The Food That Built America: A Bibliography

I was so pleased to be featured in the History Channel miniseries, The Food That Built America. It's a great mix of history and drama, with talking heads like me interspersed with quite wonderful reenactments of the famous personalities featured in the show.

But a Facebook comment made me realize, that most people don't know these stories at all! The History Channel has featured some of them as articles on their website, but I thought, why not put together a bibliography for folks who wanted a deeper dive? 

Here are some of the books by authors featured in the show, as well as a couple of others that give great context to the period. (Please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate and will receive a small commission from any books published from these links.)

The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek by Howard Markel (featured talking head). 

For God, Country, and Coca-Cola by Mark Pendergrast (featured talking head).

The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars by Joël Glenn Brenner (featured talking head).  

H is for Hershey by Heather Paterno (featured talking head). 

Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food by David G. Hogan (featured talking head). 

Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet by Harvey Levenstein. Essential reading for understanding American food at the turn of the 20th century.

​ Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee by Bee Swinson. An eye-opening look at food before regulation. 

Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man by Mark Kurlansky. 

Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams Paperback by Michael D'Antonio 

American Empress: The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriweather Post by Nancy Rubin Stuart

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I thought it would be fun to compile a few "further reading" options for those who loved the show. 

​Enjoy!