Reviews

This was very informative, but a tad dry. I liked the beginning about Samhain a lot, and I loved the sections about mid-century America, but i wished there was a bit more commentary on the cultural heavy hitters (the films and music) later in the century.

nick_stern's review

Go to review page

dark informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

whatkatiedidnext's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.5

gothicdouble's review

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

2.0

I like the parts that are an overview of how Halloween developed, everything after either wasn't organized well or didn't feel necessary (like the chapter on Dia de los Muertos)

staceyliu95's review

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

3.0

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review

Go to review page

informative mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton is a great, informative read for those wanting to know more about the spooky holiday. She really tries to go in-depth into the multitude of origins of Halloween, not just looking at the Celts but also at the Christian, specifically Catholic, influences. As well as, she moves around from examining the historical points to the origin of the modern holiday we celebrate today and also looks at the way other countries and cultures around the world celebrate Halloween and other similar holidays.

I did wish that she went more into how the Protestant-prominent culture of the United States played a hand in how Halloween developed there. I also felt like the section about the global reach of the holiday was a bit unbalanced, and I think that though the edition I read was released in 2019, I think it is time for an update to help with these questions I had.

Overall, a nice read about this elusive and strange holiday that is an amalgamation of other holidays.

More...