Rossi Anastopoulo’s Sweet Land of Liberty is a pop history food studies take on American pie. Anastopoulo peaks into US history in 11 chapters, each looking at a different pie (and she includes the recipes for those who want to go beyond imagining the flavors). The social and political history of pie in the would-be United States is supported by a treasure trove of primary sources and expert voices. Some of the history is dark, but Anastopoulo doesn’t sugar coat it, no pun intended.

I am clearly the target audience for this read; Anastopoulo’s conversational tones and parenthetical asides are in the voice of a millennial on the internet. That was fine for me, if a bit cheesy, but if you’re planning on gifting the book to your pie-baking grandma, she might not feel the same way.

The bevy of primary sources had a tendency to swallow Anastopoulo’s argument through chapters. While the information contained is interesting, the trajectory of the chapters got muddied in the details, making some chapters a bit of a slog. Meanwhile, other claims are undersupported or underresearched; for instance, the idea in the second chapter on pumpkin pie that “sweet tastes most modern Americans are used to wouldn’t have been incorporated into the Indigenous diet” is so oversimplified it is inaccurate. The diets of North America’s 18th-century Indigenous populations varied widely and were not completely devoid of sweetness. Even in New England, where this chapter is primarily focused, tribes like the Abenaki were using maple syrup to make sugar and candy. Sure they didn’t have the same kind of processed sugar as “most modern Americans,” but then, neither did the colonists.

I enjoyed Sweet Land of Liberty and picked up a lot of interesting details about the history of pie in the United States. It serves as an interesting angle through which to examine some of the darker aspects of US history, but it does rush through ideas, suffering from all the corresponding issues that can bring.

I received this title as an ARC from NetGalley

Sweet Land of Liberty is an interesting combination of pie history and recipes. The history was interesting but got long and detailed for me. The history was good until it got into the cookbooks that the pies were in and how the recipes moved down in history. So less history and more recipes would have been better. I enjoyed the recipes. Some of the pies were very different and not traditional for most families. A couple of pie recipes for each history would have been fun.

Such a fun book. If you love pie, or know someone who does, this book is for you. This is an interesting look at different pies and their origins. This would be a fun gift for the baker in your life.

With a humorous touch author Rossi Anastopoulo has done her research well on writing of this book. I find this book very deeply rooted with insights into history of USA through different pies. American cuisine is vast, deeply and multicultural. Pie was a deeply and traditionally American - direct product of the United States. It was the symbol of American innovation and identity that if a Black American could eat pie at a lunch counter in North Carolina or anywhere else in the south, he or she might be considered just equal an American citizen as anyone else. From the Black Muslim on the streets of Brooklyn to the Midwest housewife struggling through the Great Depression in San Francisco every person in the US has memory or association with pie. The author points out why pie is such a unique vehicle for this type of social study. Firstly, pie as we know is ate in the United States doesn't exist anywhere else. Secondly, pie is such a barometer for American society - it is endlessly adaptable. Finally, pie is so powerful.

Pumpkin Pie is eaten every year during Thanksgiving as it popped up by the mid 1800s. Mean while in Molasses pie, the country's history of slavery is captured of the worst crimes of the United States and the legacies of racial trauma and oppression being passed down. Mock apple pie pops up during two of the most severe economic crises US has faced. Apple pie originated on foreign shores, the dish arrived in the New World with British colonists before evolving with the early Unites States, arriving at nearly the same time as the US Constitution. Jell-O Coconut pie is a beauty besides it is quicker and easier as well as economical.

The author describes how Apple pie's are wholesome and hearty how it emerged from a pie culture in the ancient Mediterranean. In America today, versions of Dutch apple pie have endured, served as a distinct style covered typically with a crumb topping and cream added to the filling. Well, I enjoyed reading the published recipes that are delicious and yummy. It was interesting and informative study from the author Rossi to know how different pies evolved and were made during different times and eras of US history.

Thank you and I just reviewed Sweet Land of Liberty by Rossi Anastopoulo. #SweetLandofLiberty #NetGalley.
I just reviewed Sweet Land of Liberty by Rossi Anastopoulo. Thanks to Abrams press publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy for my honest review.

The author's wry humour and approachable conversational tone help sweeten the history of pie in the USA, which is essentially one of colonialism, racism, erasure, and whitewashing (the narrative of pumpkin pie is a special case in point and the way it was used as a tool to assimilate Indigenous children by the Hampston Institute in Virginia horrified me). I was glad to see the author does not shy away from this. I enjoyed the section on the copyrighting of Derby Pie (God, people are insufferable!), chapters on molasses pie and the history of sugar and enslavement., and how jello pie offered housewives a welcome shortcut in the kitchen without inhibiting the message of love that pie was - is- supposed to convey.

American history told through pies! Anastopoulo takes the reader through 11 pies and how they relate to and were inspired by American history. I loved this book a lot! Maybe being a history teacher I'm a bit biased, but I found this such an interesting take on American history. I especially loved the first few chapters and the author's point about colonial America and indigenous peoples, slaves, etc. This book also features recipes after each section!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book I didn’t know I always needed. I’ll be honest, I chose the book for the cover. I enjoy history, love pie and am a sucker for a cute cover, so why not?! But, what I got was a beautifully thought provoking reverie that took me through our American history. It isn’t pretty. It’s often painful. It’s raw and real and I really respect what Anastopoulo has done here. Pie is an ancient dish, and is tied to history in countries far beyond ours. But it’s a palatable way to consume and reflect on history, while learning something you maybe didn’t know before. What a pleasant surprise!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this amazing eARC in exchange for my review.

This book was not what it seems. It was supposed to be a history of America through pies, and it's called "Sweet Land of Liberty," with a cute graphic of a pie on the front. But what it really was is "A History of Racism in America." I am fine with the author writing a book about the history of racism in America, but don't disguise it as something else. I don't like to review political books, which is why I don't choose them, so when I pick a political book that is disguised as something else, it is annoying.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is volutunary and my opinions are my own.

This book is wonderful, a history lesson told through pies! In amazing detail and illustrated with events, the origins of the recipes for these favourites are told with wit in an engaging manner. Plus the recipes are great! Some inspired variations on traditional pies. I love this!

This was such an interesting look into the history of American desserts. It includes really great, realistic recipes. I really appreciate the inclusion of Indiana Sugar Pie, as a Hoosier myself, it is incredibly underrated. The entire book made me less intimidated by pie baking in general, helping me understand that it is not as complicated as I thought and is very worth baking.

An interesting look at pie and history. I especially enjoyed the cherry pie during the Civil Rights movement.

An easy read and you will learn a little something about pie and history.

This book was a difficult read for me. I had a hard time enjoying Anastopoulo's style of writing.
There's a lot of history that I learned about in the book and she's listed her sources which I appreciated. I had never heard about many of the pies she writes about or the history behind the recipes.

Thank you NetGalley and Abrams Press for an ARC.

As someone who is an avid baker and self-proclaimed U.S. History nerd, this book's description caught my eye and I went in with somewhat high expectations.
“Sweet Land of Liberty” felt like a conversation with a friend rather than a typical history lesson per se. I have never read a book quite like this. It was witty, charming, and all around insightful as some history is brushed away, this puts a lot of that front and center! Rossi Anastopoulo was so successful in what she set out to achieve!
I have yet to make a pie but have my eyes on the chocolate coffee jello pie! It seemed like it would be simple to follow and will be a nice (delicious) weekend treat.
I don’t think you have to be a baker or a history nerd to enjoy this! I would recommend it if you're looking for something to switch up your reading routine. You will not regret it!

This is a very interesting concept for a book-- taking a look at America's history through the lens of pie. (I mean, who doesn't like pie, right!?)

So here are the pros and cons.

Pros:
A really unique and fascinating lens to view history.
Some awesome facts tying to pie in some aspect.
Some fun recipes. (Though it should be noted that this book in not primarily a cookbook.)

Cons:
Such a heavy focus on politics, race and inequality, from the very get go. I mean...there's a "Land Acknowledgment" page following the title page, acknowledging that America's land rightfully belongs to the indigenous people....
While I fully understand that race issues and inequality have a space within our country's history, there's so much MORE to America's history than just slavery, class, gender and race issues. And the author was pretty up front about making sure those issues had a large place in her book.

Maybe this book is your slice of pie (no puns intended), but I was somewhat disappointed. I didn't pick up this book to be told HOW I should feel and lectured about HOW pie always points back to politics.

I really enjoyed this unique tour through American history, grounded in the context of my favorite dessert. The author's clear-eyed depiction of the historical and cultural influences surrounding traditional favorites such as apple, and pumpkin pie, was fascinating. The chapter I found particularly interesting discussed Mock Apple Pie and other "Desperation Pie" recipes that were popular during the Depression and World War II, but actually date back to the Civil War. Central to all of the pie tales are the cultural pressures on those who baked them, from the enslaved women working in Southern kitchens, to the 1950s suburban housewives who turned to convenience foods to create dessert perfection. A great read for anyone interested in history and food.

I really enjoyed this book! While I haven’t had time to try any of the recipes yet, Im very excited to. I like the combination of history and baking, and how the two correlate. I did get bored at some points simply because it’s nonfiction and I’m better at staying focused in fictional books. Some parts were also a bit cringy, like the parts where it would be like ~says in important sounding voice~ “Ahem…..” . Things like that irked me a little but not terribly.

More history than cookbook, this lovely volume tells the story of such all American pies as apple and pumpkin and then gives recipes for them and for variations thereof. For this review I made the mock apple pie, and the chocolate coffee Jello pie. I also used the pie crust recipe from the book.

It has been a long time since I made a pie crust from scratch because the roll out crusts from the store are just so good. This recipe was a little finicky and I found it a little on the wet side. Thankfully, adding a bit more flour did the trick and it was fine over all. I think the problem overall was me and not the recipe.

The mock apple pie was very good and I do think if someone else presented it to me I wouldn't have known it was crackers and not apples. I don't like to cook with fruits and vegetables that aren't in season unless I can get them frozen so this was a great way to enjoy the taste of apple pie at the start of summer.

The Jello pie was the big hit in my house. With a blind baked crust and layers of chocolate pudding, coffee flavored vanilla pudding, and whipped cream my entire family loved this cold pie. If I made it again I'd do it with a store bought graham cracker crust so I don't even have to turn on the oven making it perfect for a summer treat.

I loved all the stories of pie history and am eager to find a recipe for Hawaiian haupia pie.

I loved every page of this fantastic, witty, quirky book. It provides a reflected historical overview of the USA with many interesting background stories that are usually left out of the official history or included as a mere footnote AND really awesome pie recipes, some of which I've tried out and enjoyed.

"Sweet Land of Liberty' is an entertaining and educational read that made me wish all history was written this way. The stories also cut across gender/race/class and cast a light upon some difficult moments in history. I'd give this book 10 stars if I could. Simply fantastic.

Thanks to Ambra Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Interesting insights in how pie changed history. I like that he gives the backstory on each pie he showcases. I think most of us think we know the backstory on most pies; but this book goes more in-depth. I think most Americans associate apple pie as American but it’s not.

A surprising treat (ha!). Social history of the United States as told through pie was entertaining and thoroughly insightful.