May Read

The book to read in May is Appetite for America How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire that Civilized the Wild West, by Stephen Fried.

Synopsis by Fodors:
Who is Fred Harvey? There's a good chance you've never heard of him. Yet you've probably stayed at a hotel, or eaten at a restaurant, that owes a debt to ideas he pioneered. And even if you've never been to the Grand Canyon, you've at least heard of it. Fred Harvey had such an impact on so many things that have become commonplace in American culture, from the hospitality industry to railroads to our national parks, that it's curious his story has stayed under the radar to so many. Appetite for America is an enlightening look at the man who helped define how Americans travel, where we go, and what we do along the way. As Stephen Fried chronicles the entrepreneur's epic rise, he also presents the exciting history of the American West.