crystal_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful narrative of the history of sugar. It is classified as a young adult book, but I would recommend it for adults too.
turrean's review against another edition
4.0
Looks at how the human craving for sweetness led to upheavals in society: trade routes, cookery, slavery, war, and revolution were all driven by the sugar trade. I have probably heard before that the vast majority of African slaves were taken to the Caribbean and South America, but this book really made me see it.
mattyb's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Colonisation, Slavery, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Classism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Rape
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
A masterfully organized, fascinating look at how sugar production influenced world history from India to the "new world," including slavery and the struggles for freedom in the Caribbean and elsewhere. The authors' families - one Jewish, one Indian - also have unusual links to the topic. Cuba is mentioned only in passing, but the big picture of how sugar was raised, harvested and sold holds true for Cuba as well. (I must have read this when it was first published in 2010, because I remember the brilliant Marc Aronson talking about it at a publisher event at ALA...in my earlier life.)
ctorms's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating and frightening overview of the global effects of sugar and an examination of how this sweet entity brought about so much pain and change. A timely and important work that shows how important it is to understand where our food comes from and the cost of consumption.
debz57a52's review
3.5
I know, I'm late to the party, since this title won its awards a decade ago, but it was a good read.
I didn't really know much about the origins of sugar, the sugar trade, alternatives to sugar, and all the interworkings of countries with respect to sugar. This book gives a fairly thorough overview of the politics of sugar, touching on pretty much every continent but Antartica. It was also personal, as the co-writers of the book were aware that their families were somehow involved in the sugar trade, and that was the touch point for both them and the readers to make the book about individuals, and not just countries and rulers, groups of traders or slaves. The book includes lots of archival maps, photos, and documents to make the story all the more concrete.
It was not an easy read for me, who far prefers fiction over non-fiction and has only the barest of grasps on world geography, but I felt like I walked away more informed than I had been. I even talked through some of the content with my husband and a friend, showing that the history took me some time to stew about and process with others.
I didn't really know much about the origins of sugar, the sugar trade, alternatives to sugar, and all the interworkings of countries with respect to sugar. This book gives a fairly thorough overview of the politics of sugar, touching on pretty much every continent but Antartica. It was also personal, as the co-writers of the book were aware that their families were somehow involved in the sugar trade, and that was the touch point for both them and the readers to make the book about individuals, and not just countries and rulers, groups of traders or slaves. The book includes lots of archival maps, photos, and documents to make the story all the more concrete.
It was not an easy read for me, who far prefers fiction over non-fiction and has only the barest of grasps on world geography, but I felt like I walked away more informed than I had been. I even talked through some of the content with my husband and a friend, showing that the history took me some time to stew about and process with others.
little_silver's review against another edition
5.0
Because it is geared toward YA, this informational text is extremely accessible.
Beyond that, it's an amazing story of the substance that connected the world in more ways than I ever realized.
Beyond that, it's an amazing story of the substance that connected the world in more ways than I ever realized.
iforgotilivedhere's review against another edition
Would of been great if it wasn’t written by Zionists