Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World by Dan Koeppel
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
In this fascinating and surprising exploration of the banana’s history, cultural significance, and endangered future, award-winning journalist Dan Koeppel gives readers plenty of food for thought. Fast-paced and highly entertaining, Banana takes us from jungle to supermarket, from corporate boardrooms to kitchen tables around the world. We begin in the Garden of Eden—examining scholars’ belief that Eve’s “apple” was actually a banana— and travel to early-twentieth-century Central America, where aptly named “banana republics” rose and fell over the crop, while the companies now known as Chiquita and Dole conquered the marketplace. Koeppel then chronicles the banana’s path to the present, ultimately—and most alarmingly—taking us to banana plantations across the globe that are being destroyed by a fast-moving blight, with no cure in sight—and to the high-tech labs where new bananas are literally being built in test tubes, in a race to save the world’s most beloved fruit.
If you are sitting there wondering “Why in the world did she read a book all about bananas?!?”
I am asking myself the very same question 🤣
Actually the ONLY reason I read this book was because it was our monthly book club pick.
Nonfiction loving Kim is our host this month, and this was all her doing.
Sigh.
Bless her big brain self.
Listen…I respect that you love to learn new things, girl.
I do.
And samesies.
I do enjoy plenty of nonfiction reads of my own….just NOT LIKE THIS.
I prefer my nonfiction to be engaging, a little entertaining and not textbook like AT ALL.
This did NOT hit those marks.
This book WAS informative AF…but it was BORING AF too.
Plus the audiobook narrator made me feel like I was in a never ending lecture seminar.
Not fun, yall.
NOT FUN AT ALL.
The singular thought I had once I finished the last page was:
THANK THE LORD THAT IS OVER!!!!!
If this wasn’t for my book club, I would have quit it completely after the first chapter.
I am pretty sure this entire book could be condensed into an hour long podcast…and THEN it may be intriguing and attention holding.
Honestly…I can’t really call any particular facts except we only eat one type of banana here in the US (and there are actually a whole bunch of different kinds). I can’t even remember which one it is LOL
And of course there has been all kinds of corruption, colonization and capitalism involved in even having bananas in our country….not shocking because you know…America–that’s our jam. 😑😑😑😑😑
I am pretty sure I mentally fell asleep while listening at LEAST a hundred times over.
BTW this is a NOT a great listen for driving for this very reason…unless you are a passenger who needs a nap…then it is PERFECT.🤣
Sorry Kim, I gave it a shot. 🤷♀️
But UUGGGHHHHHHHHH is how I felt about this book.
No idea how this group discussion is gonna pan out on my end LOL