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Joe Pappalardao, author of Sunflowers: The Secret History, reveals the real truth bhind sunflowers in the current issue of Popular Mechanics. Commonly regarded as the symbol for all things peace, love and happiness, right? Wrong. The truth is that the Helianthus family, with more than 50 species of sunflowers, has a dark side influenced by evolutionary science, archaeology and military history. Pappalardo describes why this bright, friendly icon—usually associated with midwestern farming, environmental friendliness and Little League snacking—is hiding a past that is rich with intrigue, aggression and envy

More praise for Sunflowers: The Secret History, from the current issue of Entertainment Weekly: "There is a time in every author's relationship with a topic when he crosses the line into obsession,'' says the affable Joe Pappalardo, who seems to find sunflowers everywhere: He claims Hitler invaded Russia because he wanted the country's sunflower oil and notes that another form of the weed, the Jerusalem artichoke, was rejected as a food source in 17th-century Europe (which is unfortunate, since its use could have averted the Irish potato famine). Though some of Pappalardo's interview subjects in Sunflowers exude a standard scholarly dryness, Pappalardo himself does not in this lively, compulsively readable account. B+."

Releasing today - on the first day of Spring - is Sunflowers: The Secret History, a highly entertaining social history of this remarkable flower.
Rave reviews are already pouring in: "Author Joe Pappalardo demonstrates a dramatic flair as he makes a strong case for the sunflower's grip on humanity. Enjoyable and eye-opening." (Kirkus).
"The trove of entertaining lore Pappalardo spins throughout his engaging and expansive look at a flower so ubiquitous that its critical role in cultural development since the dawn of time often goes overlooked. A glib, upbeat writer and fiercely determined researcher, Pappalardo intrepidly investigates everything from the sunflower’s genetic history and recent bioengineering discoveries to its influence on global economies from the U.S. to Uganda.” (Booklist).