Title: Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure
Author: Samira Kawash
Publish Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 403 pages
Source: Library
Date Read: February 8-26, 2020
Review
The author is the self-monikered "Candy Professor" (her website). She wrote an academic look at candy that was overall very interesting as it entertained. However, she needed a content editor to do a better job focusing on candy and not going off on LONG tangents on non-candy food manufacturing. Unfortunately, that part takes up the first 30-50% of the book. I think the lack of candy focus in this part plus the dry academic writing would turn off non-history buffs/readers. Once we get into the World Wars and into the technological leaps in the 1950s and after, the book picks up a lot and is very enjoyable. The last part of the book talks more about trends and how candy influences non-candy food and drinks; this really makes the book still timely in 2020.
5
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