I don't have a sweet tooth per se, I'm more about the salt. That being said, I also won't turn down talking about Candy with people like Sarah Perry.
SARAH PERRY BIO
SARAH PERRY is the author of the memoir After the Eclipse, which was named a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a Poets & Writers Notable Nonfiction Debut, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. Perry is the recipient of the 2018 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award and was a nominee for the 2024 MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the James Beard Foundation. She holds an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University, was the 2019 McGee Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at Davidson College, and teaches in the graduate program in creative writing at Colorado State University.
"A catalogue of candy that encourages us to see everything from Pop Rocks to lemon Warheads with joy and complexity, pleasure and depth. Weaving together memoir and a robust cultural critique, Perry shows the reader how the smallest parts of the world can offer us a profound lens for reflection and wonder." -Heather Radke, author of Butts: A Backstory
ABOUT SWEET NOTHINGS
A tart and sweet ode to finding small joys where you can. Yes, even in black licorice.
A taxonomy of sweetness, a rhapsody of artificial flavors, and a multi-faceted theory of pleasure, SWEET NOTHINGS: Confessions of a Candy Lover by Sarah Perry (Mariner; On Sale 2/4) is made up of 100 illustrated micro-essays organized by candy color, from the red of Pop Rocks to the purple Jelly Bonbon in the Whitman's Sampler. Each entry is a meditation on taste and texture, a memory unlocked. Everyone's favorites-and least favorites-are carefully considered, including Snickers and Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups, as well as the beloved Good n' Plenty and Werther's Originals.
An expert guide and exquisite writer, Perry asks such pressing questions as: Twizzlers or Red Vines? Why are Mentos eaters so maniacally happy? She rejects the dreaded "What is your favorite candy?" question and counters: Under what circumstances? In what weather? In what mood? For candy is inextricably tied to the seasons of our lives. SWEET NOTHINGS moves associatively, touching on pop culture, art, culinary history, philosophy, body image, and class-based food moralism. It challenges the very idea of "junk" food and posits taking pleasure seriously as a means of survival. Perry's pure love of candy weaves together elegiac glimpses of her 90s childhood-and the loss at its center- with stories of love and desire. Her previous work, After the Eclipse, cemented her as a critically acclaimed writer with accolades from NYT, Entertainment Weekly, W Magazine and more. Perry's latest endeavor promises to be equally impactful, with its blend of nostalgic charm and intellectual rigor. Surprisingly smart and frequently funny, it's perfect for anyone who loves a good story, appreciates fine writing, and, of course, has a sweet tooth.
