Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly Of America [Paperback]

The second part of the book is where the action, such as it is, gets going. Almond embarks on a whirlwind interstate tour of a handful of struggling independent confectioners. His primary goal is to gobble free samples, but he is also out to discover what keeps the little guys going in a market dominated by giant conglomerates like Hershey's and Mars. Traveling to the factories where lesser-known treats like Peanut Chews, Valomilk, and Five Star bars are made, Almond sketches brief portraits of the men and women holding the fort (often, they are the fourth or fifth generation of a family business). It turns out, not too surprisingly, that the motivation is a mix of sugary nostalgia and entrepreneurial pluck. But there's a palpable, fatalistic resignation underlying the candymakers' determined cheer: one of the owners admits that he's been discussing the sale of the business, and another sells out to a conglomerate a few months after Almond's visit. The days of handmade candy bars lovingly turned out by small, family-owned businesses are, sadly, over.

Almond wanders off into a tangle of digressions, ranging from his hypochrondriacal self-diagnosis of testicular cancer to a post-9/11 musing on the failures of democracy. The book's cover features a quote comparing Steve Almond to Dave Eggers, which is eerily apt: both Eggers and Almond are thirty-something slackers with food names, who blame their problems as adults on insufficient adoration in childhood.

In the end, this book is a bit like a mismatched jumble of things that are good separately. Almond clearly has passion for his subject, and he's often funny, but his manic, elaborately ironic self-deprecation has the distinctly desperate whiff of someone who's trying too hard. Candyfreak is a pleasure to bite into - maybe not perfect, but I enjoyed it. But try it for yourself. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- very much on my mind since I purchased a copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition," a funny, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Just as you'll have a fondness for author Almond (could there be a more appropriate name?) you'll also enjoy the reading by Oliver Wyman who by turns voices whimsy, amazement, and incredulity.

For a fellow who like candy as much as Mr. Almond the disappearance of some of his childhood favorites might be tantamount to an art collector losing a Van Gogh. Well, maybe not quite but close. He remembered his adored Choco-Lite, the irresistible Caravelle bar, and others. He wondered what could have happened to them, and so his quest began.

He visited candy factories throughout the United States, plying candy makers with questions. Much of what he learned was not too sweet - competition, secret recipes, and pr maneuvering.

Grab yourself a chocolate bar, give a listen, and enjoy.

- Gail Cooke