Monsters and Miracles: Henry
Bergh’s America
By Gary Kaskel
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
Published: Oct. 11, 2013
ASIN: B00FXWXN0Y4
About the Book:
The first new biography in more than 50
Years. “He never had any pets, but he started the first animal protection
society. He never had any children, but started the first children’s protection
society. Henry Bergh was responsible for the birth of two great social justice
movements in America, and no biography had been written about him in more than
fifty years. No doubt, Henry Bergh is the most famous American you’ve never
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My Thoughts:
Monsters and Miracles is a historical biographical fiction novel
told from the point of view of an old woman to a television crew. This was her
reminiscing about Henry Bergh, the man who started the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), America’s first animal protection
society. He also began America’s first child protection society.
The prologue gives
the drier version of Henry Bergh’s biographical information with all the
pertinent dates and facts one would expect to find in a biography. If it’s the
story version of his biography you are interested in, you’ll want to start with
Chapter One.
Mrs. Mary Ellen
Schutt is the senior citizen that the television crew is interviewing. She claims
she owes her life to Henry Bergh.
Henry Bergh’s story
is a fascinating one and what he did for the treatment of animals was
astounding. But it wasn’t just the improvement of the treatment of animals
where the improvement was so beneficial. Because of improved treatment of
animals in the slaughterhouses and milking houses, hundreds of thousands of
human lives have been saved from keeping fecal matter out of our food products
and diseased animals from entering the food system. This was the beginning of
the food inspection agency. As I read the book, I found it hard to believe that
more people didn’t die from the food that was sold in the meat markets given
the condition the animals were kept in.
I also enjoyed
discovering why this senior lady was telling the story. What was her connection
to Henry Bergh. Her situation was also a fascinating, yet terrible tale. Mr.
Kaskel did a remarkable job of bringing this novel to life. Most of the
individuals in the novel are real figures (basically with the exception of the
television crew). Included in the book are quite a number of photos depicting
some of the people and places and news items of the era. This really helps
bring the reality of the story home.
I really only have
one small criticism to the entire book. The novel is written in present tense
for the most part, but occasionally slips into past tense and sometimes even within
the same sentence.
Monsters and Miracles: Henry
Bergh’s America was a fascinating look at a very important piece of our
history. Everyone has heard of the SPCA, but who has ever heard of Henry Bergh?
He truly is “the most famous American you’ve never heard of”. This book is a
must-read for anyone interested in history. I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the
publisher, Infinity Publishing, for providing a copy of this book in exchange
for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts
are my own.
About the Author:
Gary Kaskel was born and raised in
Manhattan where he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts as a
teenager. He has been writing and making films since he was in grade school.
His diverse career includes working as a camera salesman, stand-up comedian,
journalist, technology consultant, charity executive, actor, screenwriter,
director, cameraman and editor.
Since graduating from the CalArts
film school, where he studied screen writing and directing under Alexander
Mackendrick ("The Man in the White Suit," "The
Ladykillers," "The Sweet Smell of Success"), Gary has worked in
film and television as a writer, producer, director and cameraman for news,
entertainment and documentary projects.
From 1980 to 1982 he was associate
producer for television legend Milton Berle's production company. After a move
back to New York City, he became a freelance director/cameraman for
broadcasters and advertising agencies.
For more than twenty years, Gary
Kaskel has had a strong interest in animal protection and other social justice
issues. He was president of United Action for Animals in NYC (2003-2007). His
intimate knowledge of the spectrum of animal advocacy led him to make
"Animal People - the humane movement in America," a feature
documentary in 2006. From 2008 to 2011 he was a producer of the annual Genesis
Awards for the Hollywood office of The Humane Society of the United States.
Presently, Gary Kaskel is CEO of
Carriage Trade Media, a production company focusing on developing
socially-conscious comedy, drama and historical film and television projects.
After several years of researching the life of ASPCA-founder Henry Bergh, he
wrote an historical novel based on his life entitled "Monsters and Miracles." He is
presently working on an autobiography titled, "I Could Have Been a
Pawnbroker."
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