Set in the American Century from 1814 to 2003, An American Family Sampler is a chronicle of five generations who built and ultimately destroyed a great company.
From its mercantile roots through country banking then morphing into a manufacturing and shipping giant and eventually becoming a financial powerhouse, the company, Prescotts, waxed and waned with America.
Although based on a real life events, a story about a company is boring. What will keep reader interest are the stories of the family, its members, workers, spouses, friends and enemies.
The thread binding these diverse characters is the company. But the book is about the characters recorded in its pages. They include:
-Henry Prescott-founding son who drives it to early success with the help of his wife, Rebecca. Their marriage is one of partnership and passion.
-William Prescott-their only child to live to maturity he builds on his Civil War experiences to create a community banking empire.
-Samuel Gilbert-born the son of a manumitted slave and he rises within the company to be its de facto operations leader and the founder of his own family wealth. At one point he is the highest ranking Negro in America.
The author infused this novel with characters taken from real life. Some of the events and actions described are true, only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. In some cases, they have been never reported.
Donald P. Mazzella has been a journalist his working entire life. As a reporter, correspondent, editor or member of such companies as McGraw-Hill, Essence, Thomson Publications, and NBC News, he was involved with some of the 20th Century's major events. Currently, Mazzella is editorial director of Information Strategies, Inc. a multi-media company in the small business, healthcare, and HR sectors having more than 11 million opt-in readers. Don taught journalism and communications at such colleges as Columbia, NYU, CCNY, Rice, Vanderbilt and FDU. He holds BA, MA and MBA degrees from NYU and is certified as an expert witness in publishing and printing in the Federal Southern District of New York. He is a nationally known speaker who has appeared on or in numerous television, radio, and periodical publications. This is his first novel.
