Peppermint Kings: A Rural American History

Three reasons I picked up this book: 1) heard the author read the Ranney letters aloud on his Vimeo/YouTube channel, 2) the Hotchkiss name is part of my genealogy, so I needed to follow up my curiosity, and 3) the author's other book on Charles Knowlton was such a fascinating read and I wanted to know more. (The author has also read aloud the Knowlton book–check it out on his video channel!)

This book is an excellent example of using the history of a single concept (peppermint essence) to explore a variety of social and economic issues. Tracing connections and narrating the real-life workings of family and community seemed to uncover all kinds of unappreciated and/or unknown aspects of history that warrant even more reading and study. The sections on Albert M. Todd were especially fruitful in expanding my awareness of this time period and economic/social history in general.

Because this started as a dissertation, there are sections that can be somewhat dry. Yet I still found myself surprised at how much the unconventional interpretations of many of the topics made me want to know more, (i.e. would love to read a more focused study on the Mentha farm that A.M. Todd set up). Hopefully, the author will keep writing and sharing on these topics.