Description
Wonderfully well-written, outrageous, and provocative.” — Booklist.
“Entertaining … and scholarly … Like a bag of Halloween candy, the book is a large number of fun.” — Boston Globe.
“Fans of cultural history will devour every chapter … like a toothsome treat.” — Christian Science Monitor.
Acclaimed cultural critic David J. Skal explores considered one of The usa’s most perplexingly popular holidays on this original mix of personal anecdotes and social analysis. Skal traces Halloween’s evolution from its dark Celtic history and quaint, small-scale celebrations to its emergence as mammoth seasonal marketing event.
Skal takes readers on a cross-country survey that covers remarkably divergent perspectives, from the merchants who welcome a money-making opportunity that is second only to Christmas to fundamentalists who decry Halloween a type of blasphemy and practicing witches who embrace it as a holy day. He also profiles individuals who revel on this once-a-year occasion to take part in elaborate fantasies. Their narratives, combined with the creator’s cultural analysis, offer a revealing take a look at an intriguing aspect of our national psyche.
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