Judith Sumner

"In this impressively researched exploration, esteemed ethnobotanist Sumner takes a scholarly yet totally accessible approach to the myriad ways plant materials were critical to both Allied and Axis war efforts. With balanced attention to domestic sacrifices and ingenuity, Sumner's astonishing discoveries make this a fascinating read for botany buffs and those steeped in military history."  --Booklist

​

"A unique blend of botanical and military history...Plants Go to War is an original and meticulous study that is as informed and informative as it is accessibly organized and reader-friendly in presentation." --Midwest Book Review.

​

"Unique...In all our years of experience with books about World War II, never have we seen one quite like this, newly published, a big, serious study of the subject."  --Stone and Stone

​

"...Sumner has written an important book, which will serve as a reference work for scholars working on food and botanical history, both during WWII and beyond. Combining her immense knowledge of plant sciences with history, she meticulously explains how plants affected all aspects of the war, even those not commonly associated with botany. As such, she has succeeded in her mission “to write an encyclopedic synthesis of civilian and military plant uses”—and misuses—during a defining period in modern history."  --Technology and Culture, Johns Hopkins University