Elizabeth Abbott's Sugar: A Bittersweet History is an intelligent
and intriguing look at a product which many/most of us take for granted.
Abbott traces the growth in the world's demand for sugar and the direct
role this played in the growth of the slave trade. Abbott's writing is always interesting. The history is interspersed with tiny, elegant details of real people and real lives --- some prospering but most foundering, as a result of the sugar market. It is a very compelling read and the accompanying photographs are excellent. You'll never look at your sugar bowl in the same way again.
Sugar: A Bittersweet History