In Pursuit of the Common Good: Twenty-Five Years of Improving the World, One Bottle of Salad Dressing at a Time

"In Pursuit of the Common Good" (subtitled: Twenty Five Years of Improving the World, One Bottle of Salad Dressing at a Time) is a non-fiction work written by the late Paul Newman and Aaron E. Hotchner (American author, most known IMHO for his novels about Ernest Hemmingway).This book is about the founding of "Newmans Own" natural foods, how it all started with Newman not being sure what to do with leftovers of his personal salad dressing made in a batch intended as holiday gifts for friends, and why they decided to give 100 percent of the profit from "Newmans Own" to charity.I feel that the first few chapters would be interesting for anyone planning to start a small business, especially one selling food products. The challenges and pitfalls that they overcame are very interesting- I had no idea that a well-known movie star would have to go through all of this just to start a business. I was also surprised that Newman was very involved in the formula for the salad dressing, and other products such as the salsa and pasta sauces.As an example, the first "Newmans Own" maranara sauce was based on a recipe Newman wrote on the back of a paper bag and went through no less than 10 "pre production" iterations before it met with PLN's approval to produce.The methods used by Newman and Hotchner to gather public opinion about their products are noteworthy also. Newman's Own saved many thousands of dollars by not listening to the so called "marketing experts" and using their own methods (saving an estimated $1,320,000 in pre-production research).It's worth noting that prior to Newman's Own, large food producers such as Kraft, etc. felt it was impossible to offer "all natural" foods with fresh ingredients for sale to the general public. In this way all of Newman's Own products were pioneers in the area of natural foods containing no chemical preservatives.Newman at first balked at the idea of having his face on the product labels but was encouraged to do so by Ellen Posey (wife of broadcaster and former F1, Indy and sports car racer Sam Posey). Ellen was also responsible for the distinctive design of the Newman's Own product labels.It is a light and humorous read, and like the Newmans Own products, the proceeds from sale of the book go to "Hole in the Wall Camps" for crippled and terminally ill children.Each section of the book has a few pages of reprinted letters from people commenting about Newmans Own products. One letter is addressed to "Mr Redford"; Hopefully Paul took that with good humor.There is a section in the back of the book with Paul Newman's favorite recipes, some of which were originally published in Good Housekeeping magazine, others were published in "The Hole in the Wall Gang Cookbook".

Occasionally I have casually noticed a Newman food product on the supermarket shelves over the years from time-to-time, presuming it was just another celebrity endorsed item which was pay-for-play. Upon reading this book, I found that was absolutely NOT the case. It became very clear that Newman and Hotchner were very committed to break the rules and crash the gates of classic marketing, particularly supermarketing. They were planning to do it with a totally unorthodox product and style. They did with a vengeance and yet, with aplomb! ... and they did for charity ... and it is still going!Some of the material is so funny you have to put it down, sit and laugh! Then you pick it up again and encounter something else that is even funnier. On the other hand, some of the stuff will make you cry and definitely feel the pain of some beneficiaries of the charity founded by the partners. You may have guessed by now that I have a much different view of the product line now - I buy many of their offerings ... with regularity and love 'em all!

The hardback copy of this book is the same but has a different title,"Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good".This was a fun book to read which both made me laugh and tear up. What Newman and Hotchner accomplished by just being themselves and making practical decisions is truly amazing. Their journey from making salad dressing to donating 200 million to charity illustrates that when people see a thing that makes sense in its goals and how it is run, they will pitch in both amazing amounts of money and time to help. What a wonderful creation the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps are. Paul Newman left a legacy of joy, and good eating.

Paul and his buddy Hootch are irrepressibly confident and righteous in developing their line of organic tasty foods and getting them placed in the big stores against frightening competition. And at the end of the day becoming a giant non-profit that gives away all its profits to The Hole in the Wall Gang, summer camps for terminally ill children. This is inspiring, uplifting, funny, fascinating and demonstrates the true greatness of humanity embodied in these two friends.

This is a very interesting book about Paul Newman & his Friend on how it all began with "One Bottle Of Salad Dressing At A Time" He writes with insight & humor in telling how his now mass-market company began as a lark. One bottle of salad dressing also led to the Hole In The Wall Camps for children with health issues. Mr. Newman was far & away more than a Blue eyed actor!! This book arrived looking like NEW!!

It amazes you that this company is thriving the way it is when you read how it got off the ground. This is a good read and Paul seems like a great man. I hope the company continues to thrive and grow.

Super book especially for someone who LOVES Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

Delightful story, I have always loved Paul Newman and now have a new respect for him.

This is another book that I was very much looking forward to reading, as the online sample of the first few pages of the book were very amusing.It did not disappoint and the two principal protagonists Paul and Hotch accidentally and without too much planning become very successful in raising money for good causes and eventually set up their own charity. If I had a minor criticism it would be that it was a little over the top in places but that is a minor gripe.Well worth getting hold of a copy as is a jar of Newman's Own spaghetti sauce if you can get your hands on it still.

It arrived very quickly and as described. Enjoyable, easy read. Amazing what Paul Newman achieved, donating huge amounts to charities across the world.

I really did love this book, so much that I couldnt put it down and read it in a day. It's really inspiring and a must read!

Fantstic book, excellent read. Newman is a true mans man