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| View Larger Image | Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
by Dan Koeppel
| | List Price: | $23.95 | | Price: | $16.29 | | You Save: | $7.66 (32%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 14754 | | Studio: | Hudson Street Press | | | Binding: | Hardcover | | Number Of Pages: | 304 | | Publication Date: | December 27, 2007 | | Publisher: | Hudson Street Press |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
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 (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 26 reviews)
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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.
Koeppel's book emphasizes dessert banana issues. However, the World primarily relies on bananas and plantains as a vegetable crop. In the Dominican Republic they eat cooked green plantains 3 times a day and prefer it to potatoes. Next time you are in New York stop by a Dominican restaraunt and try mangu de platano for breakfast or fresh tostones hot off of the skillet. For those of you that have lived or visited Panama or Colombia, tostones are called patacones.
August 27, 2008 | |
Bananarama! The Forbidden and Forgotten Fruit of the Loom.
Out of all the fruits grown in the world,the banana gets little respect.Yet,the banana is perhaps the single most important fruit ever cultivated on our good Earth.Dan Koeppel writes a very interesting historical and cultural book about the seriousness of the banana politics.Countless comics have slipped on a banana peel and heaved a banana cream pie on another.We use phrases like ,'second banana' and 'banana republic';to deride or comically mock a puppet leader or puppet government.Still ,banananomics is serious business and directly affects the global food markets. The author brings to light the true economic and geopolitical impact the banana fruit has had and currently has ,on the world today.The loss of this fruit will have catastrophic reverberations,both socially and monitarily,around the globe.The plight of this fruity staple,the Cavendish banana, may be irreversible and doomed to extinction,like the elder Gros Michel banana.This is an excellent book that brings awareness of the looming fate for the tropical Cavendish banana.Yes,we have no bananas? Maybe not.Scientists are racing for a solution to the fungus disease,that is decimating banana production,every year.It's hard to imagine a world without bananas.And even harder to fathom a world dealing with its loss from everyone's shopping cart.This book will change the way you view bananas.And will make you give some respect to the 'second banana' ,in your cornucopia basket.
August 26, 2008 | |
who knew?
awesome book. who knew how important bananas were to the WORLD?? Fascinating story with important questions for the future of hungry people around the world. I'll never think of bananas as a simple food again. The banana has global impact. Great read.
August 02, 2008 | |
Very informative 
A bit America-centric for European readers but nonetheless great to have all this info in one place.
Buy fair trade organic every time.
July 17, 2008 | |
So much history with the Banana...
I was amazed by this book. It begins with an introduction to the Banana and explains there is even a reference to this fruit in the Bible. Describes history and the impact the Banana has had on the world. Everyone assumes that only Cotton, Gold, and Oil impacted the world and trade & consumerism. But this book details the "hidden" history about the yellow fruit. Concerns about the future of the Banana (due to Panama Disease) are discussed. I reccomend this book to anyone interested in history or botany, or anyone just curious about this fruit!
I gave 4 stars because towards the middle the book got a little mundane and a lost interest for awhile. Overall, well written and interesting.
June 13, 2008 | |
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