I picked up Candy Freak by Steve Almond at a book store a couple of years ago and did something I almost never do with books: I sat down and read it cover to cover.
Remember Bubble Yum?
I especially enjoyed the beginning chapters where the author details his obsessive love of candy, especially the parts about his childhood where he discusses the Bubble Yum craze and the Pop Rocks urban myths.
He also has a very funny short section titled "Mistakes Were Made" where he lists candies that he finds awful such as those marshmallow circus peanuts which he describes as "an affront to elephants everywhere." It's a great section to read aloud and see if your friends and family agree or disagree with his assessments!
The Little Guy and the Big Three
Most of the book is devoted to his exploration of the "little-guy candy producers" who can't get the shelf space that the Big Three (Nestle, Hershey, and Mars) can get in stores. The author travels to several of these small-time candy makers, tours their factories, and interviews the owners and chocolate engineers. (Who would not love having the job title "Chocolate Engineer"?) Here are some names of those candies: GooGoo Clusters, Hazelnut Bar (Lake Champlain Chocolates), Peanut Chews, Twin Bing, Valomilk, Idaho Spud, Abba-Zaba. The only candies I've eaten on this list were the GooGoo Clusters, which are amazing!
Hungry for More . . .
It is impossible to read this book without feeling a little bit hungry. Even looking at the cover closely will make you want to reach for a chocolate bar. Each of those letters in the title is from a candy wrapper. I didn't know whether I should feel proud or appalled that I can name the wrapper used for every single letter shown on the cover. (Can you?)
While this book does have its flaws—notably, Almond's tendency to overshare highly personal details that have nothing to do with his subject—it will make you think about candy (including those leftover Halloween treats you're snacking on now!) in a new way.