Synopses & Reviews
When this award-winning husband-and-wife team discovered that they each had sugar in their family history, they were inspired to trace the globe-spanning story of the sweet substance and to seek out the voices of those who led bitter sugar lives. The trail ran like a bright band from religious ceremonies in India to Europeand#8217;s Middle Ages, then on to Columbus, who brought the first cane cuttings to the Americas. Sugar was the substance that drove the bloody slave trade and caused the loss of countless lives but it also planted the seeds of revolution that led to freedom in the American colonies, Haiti, and France. With songs, oral histories, maps, and over 80 archival illustrations, here is the story of how one product allows us to see the grand currents of world history in new ways. Time line, source notes, bibliography, index.
Review
"Vivid . . . compelling.' and#8212;Booklist, starred review Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"A stinging, often startling expose on this country's pervasive, lucrative fast-food industry, for young people." and#8212;Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly
"Fascinating -- and alarming. . . . This book is full of inspiring examples of how one person can make a difference." and#8212;LA Times The Los Angeles Times
"Chew on This is an expose of the fast-food industry and a nauseating disclosure of the fats, sweeteners, laboratory-formulated textures, scents and colors that sizzle under the Golden Arches. Read this, and you have had your last Happy Meal." and#8212;The New York Times Book Review
"Chew On This should be circulated widely among America's youth. And should be commended for the fact that even in the face of such overwhelmingly bad news, it doesn't completely lose its sense of humor." and#8212;The San Francisco Chronicle
"With its discussion of alternatives . . . Chew on This puts a nice, empowering spin on the old Burger King jingle, "Have it your way." Along with the all-McDonald's diet movie, "Supersize Me," this should be required fare before the next lunch bell rings." and#8212;The Washington Post
"Chew On This is an eye-opening book with a worthy message." and#8212;Bookpage Bookpage
"Useful for health classes and nutrition units, it will also be an eye-opener for general readers who regularly indulge at the Golden Arches. . . .But the emphasis here is on the truth about soda pop and obestity, fries and lies." and#8212;School Library Journal
"Eye-opening and often stomach-churning...this book is a fascinating look at a very controversial subject." and#8212;VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
Review
andquot;A deliciously informative, engaging and sweeping chronicle of one of the most popular treats in the world.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
andquot;Frydenborg offers a wealth of information that will likely encourage students to think critically about the ecological and human cost of their favorite candies and maybe even prompt them to choose sustainable alternatives...a great choice for school projects or chocolate fans curious about their beloved treat.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
* andquot;This fascinating book presents a deep, multifaceted glimpse at a delectable dessert: chocolate. Engagingandmdash;even witty in placesandmdash;and enlightening.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal, starred review
andquot;Primarily a chronological history of the tropical plant and its deliciously addictive by-products, the fascinating, fast-moving narrative also delves into the socioeconomic, scientific, and culinary importance of the cacao bean.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
Review
"This is fine historical writing: an epic story on a broad canvas that never loses sight of individual moments of human drama; a historical methodology infused with political, intellectual, cultural, and social strands; a complex sequence of cause and effect; an illuminating synthesis of primary and secondary sources; and a thoughtful marriage of words, picture, and design."and#8212;
Horn Book, starred reviewand#160;
"Covering 10,000 years of history and ranging the world, the story is made personal by the authors' own family stories, their passion for the subject and their conviction that young people are up to the challenge of complex, well-written narrative history."and#8212;Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewand#160;
"As the title suggests, this stirring, highly detailed history of the sugar trade reaches across time and around the globe . . . The book's scope is ambitious, but the clear, informal prose, along with maps and archival illustrations, makes the horrific connections with dramatic immediacy."and#8212;Booklist
"This is a poignant, ultimately hopeful essay that clearly chronicles the human pursuit of sugar to satisfy our collective sweet tooth."and#8212;The Bulletin
"An impassioned, thought-provoking account that forces us to look anew at the things we take for granted."and#8212;Jennifer Brown, Shelf Awareness
"This book, at once serious and engaging, traces the complex history of sugar over vast expanses of time and space, exploring ways in which this one commodity influenced the formation of empires, the enslavement and migrations of peoples, the development of ideas about liberty, and so much more."and#8212;Deborah Warner, Curator, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
Synopsis
Aand#160;fascinating accountand#160;for teen readersand#160;thatand#160;captures the history, science, and economic and cultural implications of the harvesting of cacao and creation of chocolate. Readers of Chew On This and The Omnivore's Dilemma will savor this rich exposand#233;.
Synopsis
Chocolate hits all the right sweet--and bitter--notes: cutting-edge genetic science whisked in with a strong social conscience, history, and culture yield one thought-provoking look into one of the world's most popular foods. Readers who savored Chew on This and Food, Inc. and lovers of chocolate will relish this fascinating read.
Synopsis
Kids love fast food. And the fast food industry definitely loves kids. It couldnand#8217;t survive without them. Did you know that the biggest toy company in the world is McDonaldand#8217;s? Itand#8217;s true. In fact, one out of every three toys given to a child in the United States each year is from a fast food restaurant.
Not only has fast food reached into the toy industry, itand#8217;s moving into our schools. One out of every five public schools in the United States now serves brand name fast food. But do kids know what theyand#8217;re eating? Where do fast food hamburgers come from? And what makes those fries taste so good?
When Eric Schlosserand#8217;s best-selling book, Fast Food Nation, was published for adults in 2001, many called for his groundbreaking insight to be shared with young people. Now Schlosser, along with co-writer Charles Wilson, has investigated the subject further, uncovering new facts children need to know.
In Chew On This, they share with kids the fascinating and sometimes frightening truth about what lurks between those sesame seed buns, what a chicken and#8216;nuggetand#8217; really is, and how the fast food industry has been feeding off children for generations.
Featuring cover art by M. Wartella.
About the Author
Charles Wilson grew up in West Virginia and has written for several newspapers and magazines, including the
New York Times and the
Washington Post. He has worked on the staff of
The New Yorker and the
New York Times Magazine and has rounded up beef cattle on horseback at his uncleand#8217;s ranch.
Eric Schlosser is a correspondent for the Atlantic. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, the Nation, and The New Yorker. He has received a National Magazine Award and a Sidney Hillman Foundation Award for reporting. In 1998 Schlosser wrote an investigative piece on the fast food industry for Rolling Stone. What began as a two-part article for the magazine turned into the New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. His other books include Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market and Chew on This: Everything You Donand#8217;t Want to Know About Fast Food, a childrenand#8217;s book he cowrote with Charles Wilson.