Book excerpt: From Charlotte's Web to Porky Pig and Babe, Americans betray a curiously deep regard for pigs. Hog Ties looks at this phenomenon, its relation to American culture, and the way in which themes of life and death are played out in the care, feeding, slaughter, and eating of pigs. Intermingling silly asides with serious subjects, existential concerns with environmental issues, the book considers the ways that pigs might help Americans address powerful human concerns.