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Title: Bananas: An American History by Virginia Scott Jenkins ISBN: 1-56098-966-1 Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press Pub. Date: October, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.83 (6 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Bananas in Repetition
Comment: For those fascinated with bananas, this book offers an insight into the toothsome tropical tube. Aside from some cautions which I will discuss further on, the book is full of useful and little-known information, like the coinage of the term "Banana Republic"; the histories of two large companies, Chiquita and Dole; and the change in ideas concerning the banana, from tropical delicacy to poor-man's fruit. Sadly, as this is a history of the banana in America, there is little written as to its origins in Asia and its earlier uses. Consider Bananas the story of how an inported fruit became a symbol of the United States.
I had some complaints about the book, however. The author put the chapters together like essays: each one does not have to be read before the other, as a lot of the information is repeated to illustrate a slightly different example in other contexts. This approach lends tedious reading; I could not help but think the book could be much shorter than its tight 171 pages. Moreover, some of the research is obviously low-key: she mentions banana-flavoured ice cream in stores today, but only makes use of her local groceries (Safeway & Giant) as examples. It leads me to wonder what else is written in her book as a general fact based on a small sample. The author also spends much of the text quoting verbatim recipes, sayings, and articles that are either unnecessary or redundant.
Nevertheless, for those interested in the study of food, this book is not to be passed over, despite my rating of two stars of five. There are a few gems-- especially in the first few chapters-- that are of definite interest.
Rating: 2
Summary: fresh topic: spotted layout
Comment: i will start off saying that this was a really interesting book and a must for people that like bananas or fruit history in general. she clearly loves the topic she was writing about and has done extenseive research. i found the book, a prodigy in the fruit book arena, very informative and interesting. black and white photos and pictures of advertisements and banana songs in the back enhance the book greatly and add a more fun feeling. now, with that said, there really needed to be more work done on this book. Jenkins is very repetetive throught the book and certain topics (like banana shipping) are found scattered throughout the book even though there is a banana shipping chapter. some new facts and information were brought up in chapters after their designated chapter and that made note taking fairly unorganized. this book needed to pass through several editors before it was released. better orginization would have made it much better. Very interesting, but certain parts of the book drove me crazy because of the lack of organization and reading the same lines (banana has gone from a luxury fruit to a poor mans fruit in such a short time) over and over throughout the book. i would give it 2.5 stars, but since i cant, i'll just make it 2.
Rating: 5
Summary: This IS the History of America...
Comment: That might sound a tad weird, but the book, by following the history of the banana, also follows America's history in showing us how the banana created developments in transportation, fed international trade in South America, created the health campaigns within the US, brought about marketing designed to create a demand for bananas and the increase in the public's interest in the tropics. The banana was also a weapon against communism and built us an American Empire. BOW BEFORE THE MIGHTY BANANA!
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Title: The Potato : How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman ISBN: 0865475784 Publisher: North Point Press Pub. Date: 25 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe, Michael D. Coe ISBN: 0500282293 Publisher: Thames & Hudson Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar by Peter Macinnis ISBN: 1865086576 Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization by Iain Gately ISBN: 0802139604 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky ISBN: 0140275010 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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