This book was informative but incredibly dense. I found it to be too academic for what I was looking for, in regards to cooking.

I will say I enjoyed learning about the history but it was just to drawn out.

It is still a cookbook I would have around for good pie conversation.

So this book was definitely not what I expected.

In my mind, I was thinking it would be more anecdotes, with pie and recipes, but like when your grandma tells you family stories about Great Aunt June and how she lost her teeth in this pecan pie recipe.

It's not. But Sweet Land of Liberty really is a great read. I love history (hence the degrees) and it was an interesting take on US History, using pie as the common thread. From the colonial times through 20th century, pie acts as a centralizing aspect in the history of America.

I absolutely loved this look at history and would recommend it to anyone looking for fresh take to explore our country's past.

What a wonderful look at pie and it’s forever ties ties to our celebrations and history. It’s just enough background to keep you reading. It’s whimsy is as light as meringue. It’s descriptive passages make you want to bake and take to the nearest neighbor for a chat and chew. A great gift for any baker who’s interested in how we can to love pie, burgers and apples.

Loved this book so much. It took a while to read, but the compilation of essays is perfect for a grad student like me to put down and pick up a couple weeks/months later when I remember I should read for fun.
Each essay is unique and well-researched and written. Truly enjoyed reading this.

To be honest, I only made it through three chapters before I stopped reading. The idea for the book is a unique look at history through pies. Great! But the execution of the premise was overtly political, culturally Marxist, and at times even insulting. If I wanted to read politics, I would. I wanted to read about history and baking. Instead, I received a condescending talking to about how awful white people have been throughout the history of America. I scanned the rest of the book and found that sometimes a point was boringly over-cited. Other times, the author made wild claims without any supporting evidence at all. Seeing the political agenda of the author makes me doubt many of the points the author was trying to make. I don’t recommend this book at all.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher. But this review was voluntary, and my opinions are my own.

The concept of mixing food and history is intriguing and caused me to select this book. The beginning started very politically based and turned me off but I continued on. Telling the history of America through the history of pies is a really interesting concept. Theoretically, the concept is brilliant. It’s a fun way to tie culinary history to broader social history, and should cater well to audiences that may not enjoy the drier side of history books. In practice, unfortunately, it generally doesn’t work too well. The author takes a fairly formulaic approach where Anastopoulo takes a pie and talks about its origins, ingredients, preparation, its particular place in US society, it's cultural impact. This book is better than most in this sub-sub-genre, but it too loses its way at times and struggles to convincingly carry the theme through from start to finish.

I'd like to thank #NetGalley and #Abrams Press for this electronic ARC of #SweetLandofLiberty.

Pie is the quintessential American dessert and through the stories and history of 11 different and delicious pies, Rossi Anastopoulo tells the story of America. This book was such an interesting approach to food writing and history, and it had me wanting more!

This might be the most intriguing & exciting history of apple (among other fruits, vegetables, etc.) pie that’s been published! From her father’s favorite birthday dessert (recipe included — it’s in the last chapter!) her family insists is her speciality (only she can make it… truly a family tradition!), to the historical trends of savory “pastes” that lead to what we consider pie today (the crusts were more ancient-disposable-takeout-cases) — you’ll be sure to learn a historical tidbit or two for your next cocktail party. With a prose that easy to read & fun to devour, each chapter introduces not only a recipe & a history of real facts, but also a cultural overview grounded in compassion & empathy (something that’s rarer than it should be). A great read & wonderful introduction to the world of pie & how pie has influenced that same world.

This book is an absolute delight and a masterclass in how informative essay style writing should be. It is interesting, engaging, and occasionally very sassy! Anastopoulo clearly knows the subject well as ties famous pies in to their food ways. I've found myself referencing it in conversation after reading which for me is always a sign of a great book. If you love the history of food, food ways, and culture, or even just want to learn something new, please check out Sweet Land of Liberty!

This was sort of a solemn cookbook, if that can be a thing for a “how-to”. Every chapter, every recipe had a downer story to go along with the recipe. Interesting story to be sure, but I was left feeling like the sweet land of Liberty probably was a really tough place to live. Thank goodness there was pie, right?

Pies, every family holiday growing up there was a pie on the table. Whether that pie was coconut crème, chocolate silk, apple pie, or my personal favorite pecan pie; there are memories associated with each one. For this very reason I loved this book by Rossi Anastopoulo. The history of America can be shared through pies and there were twelve pies featured and each had a great story that went along with it.

If you love pies, American history (the good and the bad), and a good book please take the time to read this book. You will not be disappointed. Thank you to the publisher Harry N. Abrams and Rossi Anastopoulo for my advanced copy for review purposes.

History + recipes/cooking and I'm hooked. I enjoyed the read, it was quicker than I thought it would be. I cannot wait to try some of these recipes!

This was an informative, well researched book written in an engaging way. I learned a lot and look forward to trying some of the recipes!

Sweet Land of Liberty is the biography of American pie. Eleven carefully chosen types of pie each get a chapter and recipe to make their case as a window into some facet of the national character.

Food writer Rossi Anastopoulo defends her choice of subject in the introduction, but I have never needed such a defense less. "U.S. history via pie" is the kind of premise that makes me click "download" sight-unseen. And the book delivers on its promise. Does the US have a distinct national character? If so, how can we describe it? How did it come about? A thousand books will offer explanations. This one makes a stab at it using pie.

Don't think of Sweet Land of Liberty as a book about history. Judged as a work of pop history, the book is kind of weak. The author isn't a historian and the book isn't taking a historical approach to the subject matter. But that's fine-- Anastopoulo is a food writer, and that's the angle she's taking here. She introduces a pie and tells us what's so special about it--why it made the cut to be included. Doing so requires us to get to know the particular America that produced this pie-- the who, when, where, and most importantly, why. Judged as a work of food writing that integrates historical context, the book is very strong. By tightly focusing on pie, the book does a surprisingly good job of sketching out the contours of American history and spotlighting social and cultural forces that tend to be overlooked.

I'll be purchasing a copy of this book to give as a Christmas gift this year. While this is a perfect giftable book (unique, fun, accessible, and related to lots of different interests!), I feel the need to put an asterisk on my recommendation when I hand the present over because I frankly don't have confidence in the book's accuracy. A couple of insignificant details caught my attention and turned out to be easily disproved by cursory research. My favorite was a misreading of Colonial Williamsburg's old-timey typeface that lead Anastopoulo to think molasses was sometimes called "molaffes," which is as adorable as it is incorrect. None of these falsities were about very important facts, but when you know some details are incorrect, you can't really rely on any of the details. I would never repeat any "fun fact" I learned from this book without finding independent verification.

I received an advance review copy of this title at no cost. No money changed hands for this review and all opinions are my own.

I felt like this book tried to do a lot and mainly did accomplish it. It was a bold idea--history and society via pie?--that largely worked but I felt like it meandered a little too much. I think the biggest issue was with marketing and the cover, it looks like a cute book about pie when it is really a serious piece about the US's often shameful and abusive history through a culinary lens. I like that personally but between the (ironic) title and the cover everyone I discussed it with felt like it was a different book than what they expected.

This book is full of some great recipes that I would love to try. However it was much more political that I was expecting. The author fills the book were her viewpoints and stances on social issues. I believe some readers will enjoy it, but I was more in the market for a book about pies!

Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies is a well written microhistory of the social growth and development of the USA as related to food, specifically pies curated and written by Rossi Anastopoulo. Released 25th Oct 2022 by Abrams, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

This is an accessible, almost conversational, history of the USA as it intersects pies. The author has included recipes for each of the 11 pies featured in the essays. The history parts of the book don't always make for comfortable reading. I've heard that if history makes you feel proud and comfortable, then you're not reading about history. There were a number of uncomfortable undeniable hard truths included here: namely that the USA was built on the backs of enslaved people and brought about largely on lands stolen from indigenous peoples. 

There are careful annotations and chapter notes included throughout, which will provide keen readers with many hours of further reading. Despite being very well researched and annotated throughout, it's not at all academically stiff or formal or difficult to understand. 

Although I didn't fully test any of the recipes, I didn't see any glaring errors with a careful read-through. The recipes are written with ingredients provided in a sidebar bullet list. Ingredient measurements are given in both imperial (American) and metric units (yay!!). There are no photos of pies (or indeed anything else) included in the eARC provided for review. The layout of the recipes is easy to navigate and will undoubtedly produce a good pie with care. 

Four stars. It's an odd premise for a book (which the author freely admits). I found it fascinating, honestly and unflinchingly written, and in places, quite fun. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

I love history, and cooking, and pie--so was really excited for this read. The writing style and--for me, at least--overly political element ended up being a turn-off; it just wasn't the read for me at this time.

I might pick it up later but unlikely, which is a bummer; so much potential in a read on three of my favorite topics!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was given a print copy of this book and highlighted it in my IG stories, complete with a photo of a finished pie. It was picked up by the author and the publisher.

The pairing of pie and history is exquisite. Author Rossi Anastopoulo covers significant events in American history and chooses a type of pie that relates to them--pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, sweet potato pie for the Civil Rights Movement, and bean pie for the rise of Islam. She really starts off with a bang, dispelling the commonly held myths of Thanksgiving (deservedly so), making it clear that this book is not for those who prefer their history sanitized. But this book is for those who like their pie delicious. Unfortunately, living in a house with picky eaters and food allergies, my consumption of pie is less frequent than I'd prefer (and I was surprised by her assertion that pie is more humble than cake. She is correct, of course, but I'd not thought about it).

Liberals who like to bake or eat and appreciate learning history accurately will love this book. Others, unless they are open to reevaluation, will be more critical. I was in the "loving it" camp, longing for the return of diners (or perhaps more accurately, my return to the land of diners). #SweetLandofLiberty #NetGalley