Synopses & Reviews
A perceptive and provocative investigation of a commodity that we use every day, yet know little about
Sugar: A Bittersweet History is a compelling and surprising look at the sweet commodity, from how it Africanized the cane fields of the Caribbean to how it fuelled the Industrial Revolution and jumpstarted the fast-food revolution. The book explores the hidden stories behind this sweet product, revealing how powerful American interests deposed Queen Liliauokalani of Hawaii, how Hitler tried to ensure a steady supply of beet sugar when enemies threatened to cut off Germanyas supply of overseas cane sugar, and how South Africa established a domestic ethanol industry in the wake of anti- apartheid sugar embargos. The book follows the history of sugar to the present day, showing how sugar played an integral role in todayas fast-food revolution and made eating on the run socially acceptable.
Impressively researched and commandingly written, Sugar: A Bittersweet History will forever change perceptions of this sweet treat.
Praise for Sugar
aRead it and youall never stir sugar into your coffee or sprinkle it over your berries in quite the same mindless way.a aThe National Post (Canada)
aBrilliant and assiduously researched . . . Abbott takes a spoonful of sugar and analyzes, details, historicizes, and deconstructs it . . . with a fluid, fierce narrative power and a vengeful intelligence.a aQuill and Quire (Canada)
Review
"Appropriately powerful...[Abbott] offers up a number of fascinating stories" --
The New York Times Book Review "Sugar and Sugar both will give readers a lift, and, ultimately, both offer hope." - Library Journal, Editors' Spring Picks
""The author has certainly done her homework." - HistoryWire
Readers will never again be able to casually sweeten tea or eat sweets without considering the long and fascinating history of sugar." - Booklist
"This comprehensive study of a food product found in beverages and menus everywhere is a fascinating achievement for this talented researcher of world history." -- Chicago Botanic Garden
"A 'must' for any culinary collection." -- Midwest Book Review
Synopsis
Sugar: A Bittersweet History is a compelling and surprising look at the sweet commodity, from how it Africanized the cane fields of the Caribbean to how it fuelled the Industrial Revolution and jumpstarted the fast- food revolution. The book explores the hidden stories behind this sweet product, revealing how powerful American interests deposed Queen Lili¹uokalani of Hawaii, how Hitler tried to ensure a steady supply of beet sugar when enemies threatened to cut off Germany¹s supply of overseas cane sugar, and how South Africa established a domestic ethanol industry in the wake of anti-apartheid sugar embargos. The book follows the history of sugar to the present day, showing how sugar made eating on the run socially acceptable and played an integral role in today¹s fast food culture and obesity epidemic.
Impressively researched and commandingly written, Sugar will forever change perceptions of this sweet treat.
Synopsis
"Sugar" offers a compelling and surprising look at the sweet commodity, from the ways in which it Africanized the cane fields of the Caribbean to how it fueled the Industrial Revolution and jump-started the fast-food craze.