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Sweet and Low (Abridged): A Family Story Audiobook
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(3.02) - 746 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Sweet and Low is the amazing, bittersweet, hilarious story of an American family and its patriarch, a short-order cook named Ben Eisenstadt who, in the years after World War II, invented the sugar packet and Sweet'N Low, converting his Brooklyn cafeteria into a factory and amassing the great fortune that would destroy his family. It is also the story of immigrants to the New World, sugar, saccharine, obesity, and the health and diet craze, played out across countries and generations but also within the life of a single family, as the fortune and the factory passed from generation to generation. The author, Rich Cohen, a grandson (disinherited, and thus set free, along with his mother and siblings), has sought the truth of this rancorous, colorful history, mining thousands of pages of court documents accumulated in the long and sometimes corrupt life of the factor, and conducting interviews with members of his extended family. Along the way, the forty-year family battle over the fortune moves into its titanic phase, with the money and legacy up for grabs. Sweet and Low is the story of this struggle, a strange comic farce of machinations and double dealings, and of an extraordinary family and its fight for the American dream.
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"From out of left field, Rich Cohen manages to settle some family scores, hip us to the history of sugar, artificial sweetener and the Brooklyn Navy Yards, introduce us to some characters that are scarily reminiscent of many in my own family AND make us laugh throughout this breezy and likable book."
— Jon (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A small classic of familial triumph, travail and strife, and a telling--and often hilarious--parable about the pursuit and costs of the American dream . . . recounted with uncommon acuity and wit.
— Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times -
How decadent to indulge in Rich Cohen's rollicking account of his family and the business it built. . . . Cohen has a terrific eye for detail, the little things that affix people and places in our memories, the gestures and miscues that shape family history. . . . It's a guilty pleasure--sort of like sugar without calories.
— The New York Times Book Review -
A wildly addictive, high-octane narrative. Cohen sashays with boisterous panache from the history of the sugar trade to grandmother Betty's brooch. . . . He moves from journalistic objectivity to the intensely personal with ease, enjoying the kind of access that historians almost never get.
— The Washington Post -
It is Cohen's good fortune to be on the side of the family that was disinherited. Sweet revenge is the energy behind this glorious book.
— Time -
Cohen tells a fascinating story about family bonds in his quest to discover why his mother was cast out. His skewering of his relatives is merciless. . . . Plenty of writers have dissected their less-than-perfect families.Dealing with the issue with this much heart, though--that's extraordinary.
— People -
Hilarious.
— Newsweek -
This book is an absolute pleasure: expansive, fascinating, funny and full of historical tidbits to read aloud to anyone around.
— Salon.com -
Never less than fascinating . . . Sweet and Low might as well be a Balzacian nineteenth-century novel complete with a crisis, a contested will, and a tragic resolution.
— Los Angeles Times -
Unfailingly entertaining . . . Echoes the cadences of such literary antecedents as Saul Bellow.
— The Wall Street Journal -
Cohen writes entertainingly, lining up characters like objects in a curio cabinet. . . . He is an unusually nimble writer, capable of casually broaching grander themes. By balancing his more ambitious material with Eisenstadt family lore, and moving the drama away from the money he'll never see, he makes the story of Sweet'N Low something more than just a pleasant taste that lingers in the mouth.
— The New York Observer -
Cohen is one talented storyteller, and Sweet and Low is a great read. . . . Cohen also offers good servings of history on related topics--the sugar trade, the diet craze, the migration of Jews to New York--much of which provides a helpful backdrop to the story. At the heart of this tale is his family, a cast of characters who, owing to Cohen's gifts as a writer, are neither lionized nor demonized.
— Library Journal
Awards
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One of the 2006 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
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Winner of the 2006 Salon Magazine Best Book Award
Sweet and Low Listener Reviews
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" great combo of non-fiction and fiction type story telling, interesting history of artificial sweeteners in usa "
— Kjtryan, 2/20/2014 -
" This could be subtitled "Jewish Families Behaving Badly". Starting off with a diner in Brooklyn, the family business of packing teabags, then sugar, then saccherine grew into a multimillion dollar enterprise. The author delves into the history of sugar from prehistoric times as well as the history of the Cumberland enterprise, makers of Sweet and Low, in the ubiquitous pink packets. The book also traces the history of Mr. Cohen's family from its immigration to New York City to the final fracturing and disenfranchisement of his mother and her offspring from the family fortune. It's an amusing tale, witty, and quite sad when blood relatives become enemies. "
— Florence, 2/17/2014 -
" This is the "hilarious" story of the family of Ben Eisenstat, the founder of Sweet and Low artificial sweetener. If this is "hilarious" I would hate to see the reviews for "Crime and Punishment." The story revolves around the most unlikeable family I have ever read about. The sweetener made a fortune for Ben and his family. His wife, Betty, disinherited the mother and family of the author. The company was infiltrated by criminals. I finished but I never saw anything even remotely humorous or redeeming about the story. I don't even think I'll buy the product any more. "
— Ann, 2/16/2014 -
" If you're an East Coaster, Jewish or come from a dysfunctional family, you will LOVE this book. "
— Andy, 2/15/2014 -
" Interesting book about a Jewish family in Brooklyn. Guy writes well. "
— Joel, 2/14/2014 -
" A wonderful family saga - makes you appreciate your own disfunctional family. Very well written - both funny and smart. "
— Sarah, 2/8/2014 -
" Who would have thought there was such a story behind artificial sweetner! "
— S, 2/2/2014 -
" I liked this book, I think largely because the family who form the Sweet 'n Low "Empire" were from my old neighborhood in Brooklyn. The story is a bit repetitive but it is fun to read. "
— Lydia, 1/30/2014 -
" Great book, learned a lot about the family, sugar, dieting in America and marketing! "
— Sujata, 1/20/2014 -
" Interesting biography with more than a little bias. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in this house. "
— Mikki, 1/9/2014 -
" Audio book. Very fascinating history of the Sweet-n-Low company, written by the grandson of the inventor of the product. He was also the reader and just made it fun to listen. "
— Tara, 12/20/2013 -
" Interesting beginning. Gives history of NYC and Brooklyn but then fizzles a bit when discussing the downfall of the company and the introduction of substitute sweetners. "
— Eva, 6/24/2013 -
" As someone who loves family histories, this was a great read for me. I have read one other book by this same author and he is a wonderful writer. I am amazed that he actually wrote all this about his own family. "
— Susan, 5/8/2013 -
" Very difficult to read. Did not finish the book "
— Tim, 2/24/2013 -
" This book will give you great party chatter for weeks. For example: person responsible for pushing the FDA to approve NutraSweet despite conflicting studies? DONALD RUMSFELD. True story. "
— Holly, 1/7/2013 -
" I listened to this, read by the author, as an audio book. Outstanding. All true. Gifted writing. "
— Jo, 9/14/2012 -
" There was a good story in there somewhere and a lot of bad editing. The tidbits about Brooklyn and the sugar (and substitute) industry were great. The family intrigue...not so much. He left out too much and it was alternatively confusing and not interesting. "
— Julie, 5/29/2012 -
" Interesting history of the development of artificial sweeteners. "
— Jenny, 5/27/2012 -
" An odd mix of family history/autobiography and history of an industry. "
— Tracey, 12/27/2011 -
" I always enjoy a good non-fiction book. What a screwed up family though. Interesting family and corporate America story. "
— Carrie, 8/13/2011 -
" Really fun. A little light but gives a fascinating inside look at family-owned businesses and a brief but insightful history of sugar and the rise of the alternative-sugar market, as well as a fun look at Brooklyn in the 20th century and how easily the mafia could take hold of a business. "
— Katie, 6/24/2011 -
" Good, just not captivating enough. I must have put thus book down 4 times to read (and finish) other things. I especially enjoyed the scientific history of artificial sweeteners, including the Hopkins reference. "
— Rose, 4/29/2011 -
" Who would have thought there was such a story behind artificial sweetner! "
— Susan, 4/8/2011 -
" In parts it was interesting, but, over-all I just didn't really care. "
— Kimmyh, 2/9/2011 -
" Last book I read in 2010. <br/> <br/>Very interesting and a quick read. <br/> <br/>As the book description reads, it is a good story about a family and the history of artificial sugar. <br/> <br/>I would recommend this book. "
— Rebecca, 1/3/2011 -
" I liked this book, I think largely because the family who form the Sweet 'n Low "Empire" were from my old neighborhood in Brooklyn. The story is a bit repetitive but it is fun to read. "
— Lydia, 9/16/2010 -
" As someone who loves family histories, this was a great read for me. I have read one other book by this same author and he is a wonderful writer. I am amazed that he actually wrote all this about his own family. "
— Susan, 6/15/2010 -
" Extended Family Drama... I loved reading about it. :) "
— Catherine, 6/8/2010 -
" A fun peek into a crazy family tale with a history of artificial sweetener thrown in. "
— David, 1/31/2010 -
" Just not into this book... "
— Julie, 12/5/2009 -
" An enthralling tell-all about the founding family of Sweet N Low. Interesting read for slow days at work. "
— Rachael, 10/28/2009 -
" Very difficult to read. Did not finish the book "
— Tim, 10/7/2009
About Rich Cohen
Rich Cohen is the author of several works of nonfiction, including co-author of the New York Times bestseller Unstoppable. He is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone and has written for the New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper’s Magazine, among others. He has won the Great Lakes Book Award and the Chicago Public Library’s 21st Century Award, and his stories have been included in The Best American Essays and The Best American Travel Writing.