SWEET AND LOW

Author Rich Cohen tells the history of his family, and that of the artificial sweetener Sweet'N Low, in this enthralling and truly funny production. Black humor prevails--as this is a family that isn't very nice to one another. Cohen reveals a plethora of family foibles as he details Jewish-American life in Brooklyn in the twentieth century, along with the fortune built by Cohen's maternal grandfather, who invented the artificial sweetener. Ambition and corruption are placed in high relief as family members are cruelly disinherited for just trying to help. Cohen's narrative and vocal characterizations are straightforward. Overall, he does a good job making this story compelling. M.R.E. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]