{"product_id":"9781596912786","title":"Backyard Giants : The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eBackyard Giants\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Susan Warren\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of \u003ci\u003eWord Freak\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eConfederates in the Attic,\u003c\/i\u003e a charming, witty account of a season in mad pursuit of the world's largest pumpkin.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery year, the race to grow the biggest pumpkin in the world draws a rowdy crowd of obsessive gardeners to county fairs and weigh-offs across the country. The competition is furious; there's sabotage and treachery and the heartbreak of root rot, and many a weigh-off ends in tears. This year more than just the grand prize is at stake. The Holy Grail is within reach: the world's first fifteen-hundred pound pumpkin.  And Ron and Dick Wallace will stop at nothing to get it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBackyard Giants\u003c\/i\u003e follows a tumultuous season in the life of a close-knit tribe of competitors as they chase down the ultimate pumpkin prize. In the grueling and gut-wrenching quest for truly colossal fruit, vacations are postponed, marriages are strained, and savings accounts are emptied. Backyards are converted into leafy laboratories of biogenetics and toxic chemicals—to say nothing of pumpkin sex. Riding shotgun with Ron and his father Dick, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e editor Susan Warren brings to life a winning and unforgettable crew of pumpkin lunatics: the newbie who shocked everyone by growing the big one last year; the pro-bono slime scientist; the groundhog assassin; and the safety trainer who risked electrocuting himself to save his patch.  Funny, sharp, and engaging, \u003ci\u003eBackyard Giants\u003c\/i\u003e is a romp through a charming corner of American life, as quirky and enchanting as the big pumpkins themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781596912786\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40592978739406,"sku":"9781596912786","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_f35a5aed-b7d0-402a-8948-34d373685fa7.jpg?v=1637778690","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781596912786","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}