The Search for God and Guinness

Stephen Mansfield serves up a delicious, frothy, and engaging account of the history of the Guinness family, and how they intertwined faith and beer. By this account, the Guinness family took more pride in the faith, and sense of duty to their workers that was passed down from generation to generation than the recipe for their world famous stout porter. Mansfield takes the reader through an in depth history of the Guinness Company, and how they used their social standing, influence, and wealth to better their company, as well as the lives of every one of their employees. Mansfield takes painstakingly careful detail to account for the ways the Guinness family bettered the lives of their workers, from basic hygiene to academic, and homemaking classes for the wives of employees. In a time where so many corporations have failed both in terms of making a profit, and caring for their employees, its nice to read a story of a company that has flourished in both regards for the past 250 years. In honor of Mansfield’s thorough account, I raise my glass, and say cheers! I recommend you pick up a copy of this book and read it for yourself.