A gripping biological detective story that uncovers the myth, mystery, and endangered fate of the world's most humble fruit To most people, a banana is a banana: a simple yellow fruit. Americans eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined. In others parts of the world, bananas are what keep millions of people alive. But for all its ubiquity, the banana is surprisingly mysterious; nobody knows how bananas evolved or exactly where they originated. Rich cultural lore surrounds the fruit: In ancient translations of the Bible, the "apple" consumed by Eve is actually a banana (it makes sense, doesn't it?). Entire Central American nations have been said to rise and fall over the banana. But the biggest mystery about the banana today is whether it will survive. A seedless fruit with a unique reproductive system, every banana is a genetic duplicate of the next, and therefore susceptible to the same blights. Today's yellow banana, the Cavendish, is increasingly threatened by such a blight--and there's no cure in sight. Banana combines a pop-science journey around the globe, a fascinating tale of an iconic American business enterprise, and a look into the alternately tragic and hilarious banana subculture (one does exist)--ultimately taking us 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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Crazy about Banana:
I decided to read this book after hearing about it on NPR. I just had to know more about how Americas favorite fruit had control over much of the worlds great powers. Its awesome. I love all food and want to know as much about it as I can. I sure know a lot more about Bananas than I used to. I also took something away from this book that I didn't expect. I learned more geography and science from this book than I did in highschool, though I must say I wasn't the best of students. It proved to me that... more info
Banana Review:
I enjoyed it very much, but I tend to really like agricultural related material. The history of the companies were the highlights for me.
A Rambling, Poorly Written Novel:
Like many others here, I purchased this book because of its exposure on Public Radio. Based on what I'd heard I was hoping for an informative and engaging book. Sadly, I was disappointed on both counts. This is a rambling history of the banana intermixed with very poorly described science. I'm sure there is a fascinating story to be told about the sordid history of United Fruit and the future of the banana. This isn't it. The author relies heavily on ridiculous hyperbole (The banana is nearly extinct;... more info
Mangu de Platano:
I am deeply grateful to Koeppel for the tribute he paid to Phil Rowe, the United Brands banana/plantain breeder in Honduras who died in 2001. Koeppel never met him but obviously captured a strong sense of who Phil was and his important contribution to world food security. I met Phil Rowe in 1981 in Tela Honduras and spent the day enthralled listening and learning about challenges to the World banana/plantain crop and Phil's efforts to overcome the challenges to successful banana/plantain breeding.more info
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