Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)

While many cultures eat pumpkin year round, North Americans reserve it for a set of beloved autumn rituals that celebrate the harvest season and the rural past. In a fascinating cultural and natural history, Pumpkin shows how Americans have used the pumpkin to connect with nature and our agrarian roots--and, ironically, how this process has revitalized small farms and rural communities.

Cindy Ott is assistant professor of American studies at Saint Louis University.

"After smashing our illusions about the Pilgrims, Ott continues her pumpkin iconoclasm. The pumpkin as symbol comes full circle." --Nina C. Ayoub, The Chronicle of Higher Education

"An extraordinary scholar and storyteller, Cindy Ott tracks the culture that altered the very nature of the pumpkin--and in doing so, tells us a revealing story about ourselves. Not to be missed." --Philip J. Deloria, author of Playing Indian