Sugar Changed the World

Bibliographic Information

Aronson, Marc and Marina Budhos. Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science. Boston: Clarion, 2010. Print.

Summary
Sugar Changed the World traces the development of the sugar industry through its roles in religious ceremonies and as a coveted spice, well into the development and then end of slavery. The authors both trace their family histories back into the web of sugar trading and share that with the reader as they trace the story of sugar through to the modern day. The book is engaging, sweeping, and enlightening. The resources included at the end are an invaluable tool to see the progression of the story of sugar. The authors provide a master timeline- which ties together the timelines for multiple countries and eras. They also include notes, resources, and an index for reference. The pictures included through out the text are well chosen and bring a sense of reality to a story that seems impossible at times.

Analysis
This book’s greatest strength is the authors’ evident passion for the topic. They begin the story by sharing that the sugar industry formed each of their families, then tracing the history itself. The telling is interesting and detailed without being overwrought or draining. The pictures scattered throughout add to the story without making it feel childish. One weakness I would point out is that the story sometimes moves non-consecutively, especially between countries as slavery develops in America, England, France, and the Caribbean. This can make it confusing at times- though the timelines at the end help when it gets a bit convoluted.

The format and style of telling definitely makes this an appealing book for anyone who likes to read non-fiction titles, especially if they’re interested in overarching history. It tells a story that encompasses the world in a way that actually does just that, rather than continually splitting it into country-by-country histories. I would give this a book a place in the canon of young adult informative texts. It does a wonderful job of combining interesting tidbits and full overarching history into one text, even with pictures and maps included in the text. It is written conversationally without being condescending, as well, which is a feat in and of itself for many informative texts.

Activity
In relation to this book, a beneficial activity would be to have students research fields where slavery is still prevalent, or simply tends to fail in the realm of human rights. Many of our modern industries are not very reliable in terms of how workers are treated all the way through the process. This activity could open eyes to how often people are still mistreated and underpaid. Some good examples of questionable fields are chocolate, clothing broadly, and coffee.

Related Resources
For students who want to continue to learn about the development of slavery and it’s eventual downfall as the global economic power, there are a number of options to choose from. These suggestions are recommended for older teens by Social Justice Books, https://

socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/slavery/#non.

Hamilton, Ruth Simms. Routes of passage: Rethinking the Africa Diaspora. Michigan State University Press, 2006. Print.
Taylor, Yuval. Growing Up in Slavery. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2005. Print.

If a student felt especially drawn to either of the authors, they both have a wide range of books to choose from for a next read. Many of Aronson’s are less wide sweeping and tackle more modern topics like Race or J. Edgar Hoover. His book on the American Revolution seems to have the same sweeping worldwide scope. Budhos, on the other hand, writes more fiction than non-fiction, though much of it relates well. Tell Us We’re Home deals with teens who struggle with class differences in school, largely based in their mother’s jobs as maids and nannies.

Aronson, Marc. The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence. New York: Clarion. 2005.
Budhos, Marina. Tell Us We’re home. New York: Atheneum, 2010.

Published Review
"Reviews: Sugar Changed the World." Kirkus Reviews, vol. 78, no. 17, Sept 2010, p. 848.