Will I love Banana?

In my youth I actually worked in banana groves, cutting old stems to make room for new ones. But I never gave much thought to how one plant could cause so much war and political mayhem.

This book makes it easy to follow the convoluted political history of the banana plant. I now know what the term Banana Republic means–and that I live in one.

Without this book who would know that this popular fruit is in danger of disappearing because of a disease? 

Koeppel does a great job presenting the overlooked history of a fruit common to our grocery stores and corner markets. Most of the book focuses on the single variety of banana available everywhere and provides a good overview of different banana varieties used in Africa and Asia as local food staples.

The book also delves into how these varieties are threatened by plant diseases and provides a historical perspective of “Banana Republics,” controlled and manipulated by the powerful banana corporations in… show more.