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The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Obsession, Commerce, and Adventure
Tasty, lethal, hallucinogenic, and medicinal – fruits have led nations into wars, fueled dictatorships, and even lured us into new worlds. Adam Leith Gollner weaves business, science, and travel into a riveting narrative about one of earth’s most desired foods.
Readers will discover why even though countless exotic fruits exist in nature, only several dozen varieties are vailable in supermarkets. Gollner explores the political machinations of multinational fruit corporations, exposing the hidden alliances between agribusiness and government and what that means for public health. He traces the life of mass-produced fruits – how they are created, grown, and marketed, and he explores the underworld of fruits that are inaccessible, ignored, and even forbidden in the Western world.
Gollner draws readers into a Willy Wonka-like world with mangoes that taste like piña coladas, orange cloudberries, peanut butter fruits, and the miracle fruit that turns everything sour sweet, making lemons taste like lemonade. Peopled with a varied and bizarre cast of characters – from smugglers to explorers to inventors – this extraordinary book unveils the hidden universe of fruit.
Readers will discover why even though countless exotic fruits exist in nature, only several dozen varieties are vailable in supermarkets. Gollner explores the political machinations of multinational fruit corporations, exposing the hidden alliances between agribusiness and government and what that means for public health. He traces the life of mass-produced fruits – how they are created, grown, and marketed, and he explores the underworld of fruits that are inaccessible, ignored, and even forbidden in the Western world.
Gollner draws readers into a Willy Wonka-like world with mangoes that taste like piña coladas, orange cloudberries, peanut butter fruits, and the miracle fruit that turns everything sour sweet, making lemons taste like lemonade. Peopled with a varied and bizarre cast of characters – from smugglers to explorers to inventors – this extraordinary book unveils the hidden universe of fruit.
279 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
68 people are currently reading
1968 people want to read
About the author
Adam Leith Gollner
6 books23 followersAdam Leith Gollner is the author of The Book of Immortality and The Fruit Hunters.
He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, The Guardian, the Globe and Mail, Saveur, Good, and Lucky Peach, among others.
He used to be Editor of Vice Magazine and also played in a number of bands. He lives in Montreal.
He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, The Guardian, the Globe and Mail, Saveur, Good, and Lucky Peach, among others.
He used to be Editor of Vice Magazine and also played in a number of bands. He lives in Montreal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
May 6, 2015
I have my doubts about the writing of this book, its supposed to be about people who go out looking for new fruits and their stories. Language, noughties' slang, like "two cougars" to describe women strikes a jarring note.
I have several fruits in my garden, or at least the bit of rainforest that is accessible the rest being too difficult and bushy to penetrate, that I do not have more than local names for. Sweet water, the pod of a tree with amazingly-perfumed flowers, that is like sucking cotton wool that has been soaked in ... sweet water. A peach-sized woody brown fruit with a bright peachy-orange interior that is apple-crunchy and sweet (I think this might be better ripe). Some tiny orange berry that comes in a lacy bract and tastes like the essence of a really good passion fruit. I wonder what they are, I'm hoping the book might tell me.
I have several fruits in my garden, or at least the bit of rainforest that is accessible the rest being too difficult and bushy to penetrate, that I do not have more than local names for. Sweet water, the pod of a tree with amazingly-perfumed flowers, that is like sucking cotton wool that has been soaked in ... sweet water. A peach-sized woody brown fruit with a bright peachy-orange interior that is apple-crunchy and sweet (I think this might be better ripe). Some tiny orange berry that comes in a lacy bract and tastes like the essence of a really good passion fruit. I wonder what they are, I'm hoping the book might tell me.
July 20, 2012
I found this book incredibly frustrating. The subject matter is fascinating and the author clearly did a great deal of research. The book is absolutely packed with interesting facts about a seemingly endless variety of fruits, not to mention a wacky cast of characters - the fruit hunters - who are obsessed with fruit.
Unfortunately, in his effort to include as many facts and people in the book as possible, the author has completely neglected any kind of organization or narrative flow. I rarely abandon a book, but after 100 pages of what was essentially a rambling recitation of facts about fruit, I gave up. When I put the book down, I felt like I'd been trying to drink water from a fire hose. Many of the facts are presented without context or follow up; the author has peaked the reader's curiosity, but he's too busy zooming on through his list of facts to stop and satisfy it.
Most frustrating of all is that this is really close to being a very good book. When the author is able to tear himself away from simply listing fact after fact after fact and actually writes, you get a glimpse of what the book could have been. Gollner's writing style is unfussy and easy to read, and he clearly developed a passion for the topic. Sadly, the jumbled and rambling approach he took to telling us about it put me off.
Unfortunately, in his effort to include as many facts and people in the book as possible, the author has completely neglected any kind of organization or narrative flow. I rarely abandon a book, but after 100 pages of what was essentially a rambling recitation of facts about fruit, I gave up. When I put the book down, I felt like I'd been trying to drink water from a fire hose. Many of the facts are presented without context or follow up; the author has peaked the reader's curiosity, but he's too busy zooming on through his list of facts to stop and satisfy it.
Most frustrating of all is that this is really close to being a very good book. When the author is able to tear himself away from simply listing fact after fact after fact and actually writes, you get a glimpse of what the book could have been. Gollner's writing style is unfussy and easy to read, and he clearly developed a passion for the topic. Sadly, the jumbled and rambling approach he took to telling us about it put me off.
August 27, 2013
This book is, in a word, overwritten. Never one to forgo an adjective, or to use a simple verb when an ornate one will do, the author prefers sentences like, "Islets ringed with white sand merge into turquoise translucence." Landscapes "burst" with craters. Describing a situations where neighbors complained about the smell from a fruit he was eating, he writes, "Durian vapors were moseying down the hall." Later, he doesn't just visit the heart of the durian kingdom, he visits its pulsating heart. (This is after comparing the smell of Durian to no less than 13 different items; really, after "stale vomit" I got the idea.)
Maybe a sentence or two like this, for seasoning, would liven a book. But sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph ... it gets old fast. This book is written like the author wasn't confident the material could stand on its own merits.
The thing is, it could. About halfway through, the book settles down into a study of bizarre people and even more bizarre fruit. Among the former: a cult that eats only dates and believes its members will live forever (most have died of old age, but they keep the faith: "We really believe some of us will make it"). Among the latter: the coco-de-mer, whose fruit looks just like a female's nether regions (and don't even get the author started on the stamen), and whose shell was the capstone of an enlightenment-era cabinet of wonder. Interesting fruit facts abound in this book. But -- to use a non-fruity metaphor -- they're stuck in the clotted prose, and it's hard to get them out.
Maybe a sentence or two like this, for seasoning, would liven a book. But sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph ... it gets old fast. This book is written like the author wasn't confident the material could stand on its own merits.
The thing is, it could. About halfway through, the book settles down into a study of bizarre people and even more bizarre fruit. Among the former: a cult that eats only dates and believes its members will live forever (most have died of old age, but they keep the faith: "We really believe some of us will make it"). Among the latter: the coco-de-mer, whose fruit looks just like a female's nether regions (and don't even get the author started on the stamen), and whose shell was the capstone of an enlightenment-era cabinet of wonder. Interesting fruit facts abound in this book. But -- to use a non-fruity metaphor -- they're stuck in the clotted prose, and it's hard to get them out.
February 23, 2008
I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and started to flip through the first few pages. It turned into a fascinating read!
This book makes me want to travel to far-away places just to eat exotic fruits. And it make me incredibly annoyed at the paltry selection that we have here in the United States. Why don't we have the ice cream bean fruit? Why are we denied the miracle fruit? And who knew there are over 1,000 types of banana, some tasting like vanilla custard (which we may get to eat soon as our own hardy Cavendish banana is being killed off at an alarming rate by a terrible fungus).
Terrify your friends with disturbing facts about pesticides and fruit! Talk about fruit endlessly until everyone tells you to shut up already! Read this book!
This book makes me want to travel to far-away places just to eat exotic fruits. And it make me incredibly annoyed at the paltry selection that we have here in the United States. Why don't we have the ice cream bean fruit? Why are we denied the miracle fruit? And who knew there are over 1,000 types of banana, some tasting like vanilla custard (which we may get to eat soon as our own hardy Cavendish banana is being killed off at an alarming rate by a terrible fungus).
Terrify your friends with disturbing facts about pesticides and fruit! Talk about fruit endlessly until everyone tells you to shut up already! Read this book!
July 3, 2016
Fascinating! Obsession in the orchard. I picked this up because Mary Roach,
listed it among books she would have like to have written. And just about anything Roach writes is worth reading. It's as much about the enormous variety of indescribably scrumptious fruits we pursue and eat as the obsessive fruit hunters who have discovered, developed, and promoted these objects of desire. Anyone who gets a little crazy after biting into an eat-over-the-sink fresh peach, will find a lot to be a little crazy about in The Fruit Hunters. I missed this bestseller when it was all the rage back in '08, but I have to say it has a long shelf life.
listed it among books she would have like to have written. And just about anything Roach writes is worth reading. It's as much about the enormous variety of indescribably scrumptious fruits we pursue and eat as the obsessive fruit hunters who have discovered, developed, and promoted these objects of desire. Anyone who gets a little crazy after biting into an eat-over-the-sink fresh peach, will find a lot to be a little crazy about in The Fruit Hunters. I missed this bestseller when it was all the rage back in '08, but I have to say it has a long shelf life.
December 16, 2012
adam leith gollner's the fruit hunters is a delectable, alluring glimpse into the realm of fruit, pomology, and the sweet obsession it seems to engender in so many. rather comprehensive in scope, gollner's book focuses on myriad aspects of the fruit world, beginning with the definitional, historical, and cultural. with some 70,000 to 80,000 different edible fruit-bearing plant species, it is dumbfounding to consider that "most of our food comes from only twenty crops."
gollner goes on to explore some of the more exotic fruits, many of which quite nearly defy the imagination (coco de mer?!), as well as, presumably, the taste buds. he also reports on a number of fruit-related subcultures such as fruitarians, fruit tourists, amateur growers, hobbyists, etc. his chapters on fruit smuggling, poachers, black markets, hybridization, and the like offer insight into an industry that appears, perhaps at first glance, far more cultivated than it really is. the fruit hunters is an absorbing, well-researched work, which, if nothing else, will tantalize you with descriptions of fruits so remarkable that you may well want to seek them out for yourself (especially the miracle fruit!).
gollner goes on to explore some of the more exotic fruits, many of which quite nearly defy the imagination (coco de mer?!), as well as, presumably, the taste buds. he also reports on a number of fruit-related subcultures such as fruitarians, fruit tourists, amateur growers, hobbyists, etc. his chapters on fruit smuggling, poachers, black markets, hybridization, and the like offer insight into an industry that appears, perhaps at first glance, far more cultivated than it really is. the fruit hunters is an absorbing, well-researched work, which, if nothing else, will tantalize you with descriptions of fruits so remarkable that you may well want to seek them out for yourself (especially the miracle fruit!).
by discovering fruits, whether in our backyards or abroad, we can reconnect with nature, the realm of the sublime. to experience biophilia is to love a diversity that, as limitless as it is fragile, both haunts us and fills us with hope.
June 30, 2015
This should have been a good book, but it felt like the author was too concerned about appearing hip, or perhaps was insecure abut his topic choice....his word choice and digressions were annoying, not clever. Very disappointing.
March 15, 2011
Just wish I hadn't read it in the winter, because all those glorious exotic fruits are NOT to be had in New England in December and I wanted to try them all! Fun, fun read (great narrator on the audiobook). Starts slow but I'm so glad I stuck with it.
I adore these "world history via a specific subject" books, and this is so much more. It's a very personalized story of the (journalist) author's investigations (sometimes TOO personal: What's up with the random R-rated moments among stuff like the details about laws regarding the importation of mangosteens!?).
The relationship of fruit, its cultivation, superstition, and world history was eye opening. I have a greater appreciation for the magnitude of how many fruits there are in this world, and how many most of us will never taste. The author focuses a lot of ink on fruit-obsessed people he meets, and they're as fascinating as the exotic fruits they pursue around the world. The description of the worldwide fruit trade -- smuggling, pests, legal restrictions, industrial espionage -- was much more interesting than it sounds.
Best part was when I was in tears laughing at his description of how nasty durians are: like eating your favorite ice cream while sitting on the toilet...a disinterred corpse clutching a wheel of blue cheese...Undercooked peanut butter mint omelets in body odor sauce...but who knew that there are people who love durians enough to relocate to places they can eat them exclusively (and they're not the only "fruitarians" he meets)? And for that matter, how much can you mess with adding artificial flavors to apples before there's a revolt? How on earth can a fruit be as scandalous as a coco de mer?
Best takeaway is that the best fruits are not growing wild in the woods, and are also not growing on massive factory farms -- they're somewhere in between. And I want to go there!
I adore these "world history via a specific subject" books, and this is so much more. It's a very personalized story of the (journalist) author's investigations (sometimes TOO personal: What's up with the random R-rated moments among stuff like the details about laws regarding the importation of mangosteens!?).
The relationship of fruit, its cultivation, superstition, and world history was eye opening. I have a greater appreciation for the magnitude of how many fruits there are in this world, and how many most of us will never taste. The author focuses a lot of ink on fruit-obsessed people he meets, and they're as fascinating as the exotic fruits they pursue around the world. The description of the worldwide fruit trade -- smuggling, pests, legal restrictions, industrial espionage -- was much more interesting than it sounds.
Best part was when I was in tears laughing at his description of how nasty durians are: like eating your favorite ice cream while sitting on the toilet...a disinterred corpse clutching a wheel of blue cheese...Undercooked peanut butter mint omelets in body odor sauce...but who knew that there are people who love durians enough to relocate to places they can eat them exclusively (and they're not the only "fruitarians" he meets)? And for that matter, how much can you mess with adding artificial flavors to apples before there's a revolt? How on earth can a fruit be as scandalous as a coco de mer?
Best takeaway is that the best fruits are not growing wild in the woods, and are also not growing on massive factory farms -- they're somewhere in between. And I want to go there!
June 5, 2009
I started the Fruit Hunters with some trepidation. It sounded like an interesting book, but the cover looked old fashioned and I was prepared to find a Farmers Almanac, rather than an exciting look into exotic fruit.
I completely misjudged The Fruit Hunters. While there were a few chapters that weren't as interesting as most of the chapters, it made me want to journey to far away locations to sample cloud berries. And fruit that proves that God has a sense of humor, the coco de mer is a fruit that looks like a woman's butt, but whose seeds look like fully erect penises.
There were so many interesting facts about fruit that I didn't know about, or even thought about, or even realized that I should have thought about.
When we go to Florida in April, I'm going to go the Fruit and Spice Park south of Fort Lauderdale, where you can sample more than 100 varieties or mangoes and other fruit from right off the trees.
If you're looking for an interesting read, about all things fruit including fruitarians, the "Fruit Detective" and fruit that tastes like vanilla ice cream; then this is the book for you.
I completely misjudged The Fruit Hunters. While there were a few chapters that weren't as interesting as most of the chapters, it made me want to journey to far away locations to sample cloud berries. And fruit that proves that God has a sense of humor, the coco de mer is a fruit that looks like a woman's butt, but whose seeds look like fully erect penises.
There were so many interesting facts about fruit that I didn't know about, or even thought about, or even realized that I should have thought about.
When we go to Florida in April, I'm going to go the Fruit and Spice Park south of Fort Lauderdale, where you can sample more than 100 varieties or mangoes and other fruit from right off the trees.
If you're looking for an interesting read, about all things fruit including fruitarians, the "Fruit Detective" and fruit that tastes like vanilla ice cream; then this is the book for you.
July 3, 2009
If you ever thought that fruit was just a side dish, an afterthought, guess again. Gollner shows, in no uncertain terms, how fruit has shaped and defined life on earth in general, and human life in particular. He takes the reader to the very extreme edges of his subject: the fanatics who stop at nothing to get their hands on a fruit and the fruitarians -- people who eat nothing but fruit (and their subsets such as the "rockguacamolians" who only eat avocadoes sprinkled with asteroid dust,) and shows us the underbelly of the fruit world as well. The way that the fruit trade is linked to organized crime, for example. The creepy, underhanded treatment and marketing of "wholesome" fruit. The geopolitics of fruit. Or the fact that the idling semi-trucks that serve the huge Hunts Point Fruit Market in the Bronx are responsible for way elevated, life-shortening asthma rates (which I've read about in Jonathan Kozol's books about the work he does with schoolchildren in the South Bronx.)
The Fruit Hunters: dripping with sex (yes, really!) An entertaining and enlightening read. Recommended.
The Fruit Hunters: dripping with sex (yes, really!) An entertaining and enlightening read. Recommended.
May 18, 2010
This is one of those books where you suddenly realize again just how odd some of the people on this planet are. Almost makes me feel normal. :-) Anyway, did you know there are people absolutely obsessed by fruit, who travel the globe finding and tasting very weird, rare fruits? I had no idea just how extensive the "fruit world" was--our supermarket produce aisles are a very poor representation, as it turns out. And the people who spend their lives focused on weird fruits are even weirder. This book was definitely interesting, but I would have enjoyed it more without the occasional bad language and several very inappropriate sections which I had to skip over. I was interested in reading a book about fruit, not about sex. Who knew that Gollner, at least, can hardly discuss the one without the other. Different, not sure I'd recommend it, but interesting.
August 29, 2016
This was interesting enough and certainly made me want to eat more fresh exotic fruits, but just reminding me that fresh exotic fruits exists is enough to make me want to eat them. I wasn't surprised to see that the author was a former editor of Vice magazine - my impression of Vice is that the pieces are all in this "travelogue" style where the author inserts themselves into the story and tries to make it all about big personalities. This book is certainly in that style. I suggest discounting all "intensity" claims (about flavor, color, personality size, resemblence of a fruit to human genitals, etc) by at least 40%.
August 20, 2010
reading for Slow Food book group; slower going than I thought, plus I thought it was going to be more about Florida as we're into local foods. hope I'm wrong and need to revise as get further into book.
UPDATE: It got worse ! It might have been a good long New Yorker essay but it read as if he googled " banana" and then wrote a sentence each re each item found. Plus it never ceased to be about him including men having sex with fruit and dangers of microwaving melons for this practice.
Very curious about how group discussion will go.
UPDATE: It got worse ! It might have been a good long New Yorker essay but it read as if he googled " banana" and then wrote a sentence each re each item found. Plus it never ceased to be about him including men having sex with fruit and dangers of microwaving melons for this practice.
Very curious about how group discussion will go.
November 8, 2008
What an eye opener. I never dreamed that there was so much diviersity in the fruit world. Due to the fragility of most exotic, tropical, the sublime taste is only available locally. I guess I will never experience it firsthand, but I enjoyed reading about it.
January 8, 2018
I was drawn to this book by the documentary of the same name. While the documentary is bright and colorful and full of useful information as well as some embellishment about the history and future of fruit, the book would definitely benefit from some fact-checking. This is the author's first book, and it is clear from his writing style that he subscribes to the idea that the plural of anecdote is data. I don't believe he should be focusing his work towards narrative science, as he has a tendency to exaggerate or take what others have said in hearsay as absolute fact. The entire third section of the book I almost could not read as it was a urban myth-laden fruit-Mafia wonderland of false tails. Having so thoroughly enjoyed the documentary movie I found myself woely disappointed by its source material.
December 5, 2008
This took me an inordinately long time to read, considering that on the whole I quite enjoyed it. I think this may have been due in part to an organizational problem -- the book didn't seem to have a particular direction or focus. Instead, it seemed that the author was cramming everything he learned about fruit (and that was a considerable amount) into the book, willy-nilly. The author delights in long (very long) lists of fruits, places, cultivars, and characteristics. It's a bit of an onslaught at times. Plus, I had difficulty keeping all the various people he met in his travels straight -- he delights in presenting the oddities of fruit hunters, but it grew a bit tiresome. Yes, they're eccentrics, monomaniacs, obsessives... I got that part after the first few pages. It seemed excessive to reiterate basically the same thing time and again.
Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book... in small doses. Gollner has an engaging style, and a real gift for description (which, admittedly, he sometimes lets run a little too loose). But the part of the book that really stood out for me -- and seemed to merit its own separate treatment -- were the chapters on government regulation of fruit, sweeteners, and pesticides. THIS was where Gollner's journalistic instincts worked best, not in tracking down one more exotic fruit on some remote island. The switch over to this aspect of fruit was rather abrupt -- as if he grafted on a separate article he had written (which would, indeed explain a lot).
Gollner basically summarizes the politics of fruit - the scandals, machinations, and underhanded dealings that are behind, for example, the FDA ban on certain sweeteners, the (often flawed) rationale for which fruits can or can't be imported, and how market forces shape what ends up in our supermarket produce aisles. The latter, sadly, has little to do with taste and a lot to do with what ships and keeps well. The section on pesticides was particularly alarming. On the other hand, Gollner leaves the reader with a glimmer of hope, for there are fruit pioneers out there now, piggy-backing on the trend for buying quality produce locally, who are intent on introducing new varieties of fruit. This, as an avid fruit lover, is something I'm really looking forward to.
Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book... in small doses. Gollner has an engaging style, and a real gift for description (which, admittedly, he sometimes lets run a little too loose). But the part of the book that really stood out for me -- and seemed to merit its own separate treatment -- were the chapters on government regulation of fruit, sweeteners, and pesticides. THIS was where Gollner's journalistic instincts worked best, not in tracking down one more exotic fruit on some remote island. The switch over to this aspect of fruit was rather abrupt -- as if he grafted on a separate article he had written (which would, indeed explain a lot).
Gollner basically summarizes the politics of fruit - the scandals, machinations, and underhanded dealings that are behind, for example, the FDA ban on certain sweeteners, the (often flawed) rationale for which fruits can or can't be imported, and how market forces shape what ends up in our supermarket produce aisles. The latter, sadly, has little to do with taste and a lot to do with what ships and keeps well. The section on pesticides was particularly alarming. On the other hand, Gollner leaves the reader with a glimmer of hope, for there are fruit pioneers out there now, piggy-backing on the trend for buying quality produce locally, who are intent on introducing new varieties of fruit. This, as an avid fruit lover, is something I'm really looking forward to.
May 18, 2019
I was poised to really like this a lot, since it hits on lots of things that I have found interesting. Tasting lots of fruits, global commerce, medicinal uses of foods, quirky people with peculiar obsessions, plenty more.
Maybe this was a consequence of the audio version I listened to, I'm not sure, but it felt a little jumbled up, with different chapters or sections not really connecting to each other but for being centered on fruits. I don't know if the subtitle "A story..." quite fits, because of this.
I also found some of the... over exuberance? embellishment seems too strong of a way to put it... but there were things that seemed like they were kind of like those intentionally misleading clickbaity headlines that could have been done without. For example the bit about plants answering math questions by way of hooking up plants to polygraphs or something like that, struck me as a distracting endorsement of dubious claims.
Also, some of the ways that people were quoted in this ("When you sit in an ancinent lychee orchard on Hainan Island, China, with an old man with the wrinkles of life in his face..."), and the framing around people "discovering" fruits made me feel like there was a weird exoticization of these fruits going on and reminded me of of the excellent performance by Adam Fortunate Eagle when he "discovered" Italy, respectively.
Much of this, to be fair, can probably be chalked up to the quirks of the people interviewed, rather than the author, and I can't deny the credit due for finding and interviewing them. It's an eccentric bunch of people he talks to, to be sure.
All in all, I enjoyed it. For any specific sub-topic there might be better texts out there, for example if you're interested in the story of United Fruit, the brief treatment in this book is probably not going to stand up to the other books out there about the salacious history of the banana. Nonetheless, the variety of interesting topics was still quite enjoyable for me.
Maybe this was a consequence of the audio version I listened to, I'm not sure, but it felt a little jumbled up, with different chapters or sections not really connecting to each other but for being centered on fruits. I don't know if the subtitle "A story..." quite fits, because of this.
I also found some of the... over exuberance? embellishment seems too strong of a way to put it... but there were things that seemed like they were kind of like those intentionally misleading clickbaity headlines that could have been done without. For example the bit about plants answering math questions by way of hooking up plants to polygraphs or something like that, struck me as a distracting endorsement of dubious claims.
Also, some of the ways that people were quoted in this ("When you sit in an ancinent lychee orchard on Hainan Island, China, with an old man with the wrinkles of life in his face..."), and the framing around people "discovering" fruits made me feel like there was a weird exoticization of these fruits going on and reminded me of of the excellent performance by Adam Fortunate Eagle when he "discovered" Italy, respectively.
Much of this, to be fair, can probably be chalked up to the quirks of the people interviewed, rather than the author, and I can't deny the credit due for finding and interviewing them. It's an eccentric bunch of people he talks to, to be sure.
All in all, I enjoyed it. For any specific sub-topic there might be better texts out there, for example if you're interested in the story of United Fruit, the brief treatment in this book is probably not going to stand up to the other books out there about the salacious history of the banana. Nonetheless, the variety of interesting topics was still quite enjoyable for me.
May 18, 2021
I've read this book once before probably close to a decade ago, and I only remembered bits of it; The durian party that cleared an apartment building with the fruit's stench, Big Sugar's corporate espionage to thwart the roll out of sweetener using the Miracle fruit (a berry that makes anything sour taste sweet), and the author's trip to the Seychelles to try the feminine-shaped coco-del-mar fruit. It was suprising everything that I had forgotten since I first read the book!
In a narrative similar to "The Orchid Thief" and "The Feather Thief" Gollner combines his own present-day journey into the cultures of obsession over a specific natural item (in this case fruit), with the historical story of the relationship between humans and the fruiting bodies if the plants around them. The historical narrative begins with our earliest ancestors picking fruit off of trees, to the Global Summer of our modern-day industrial fruit farms.
Like other books focused on certain natural topics, I love the interconnectedness between the natural world and our own human history, and the sense of adventure throughout the narrative. I'd recommend having your phone nearby while you read to look up pictures of the different fruits, like the coco-del-mar or the blue quandong.
I also guarantee you'll want to eat fruit while you read this. If I remember correctly, it was this book that led to a mango eating phase in my college life, and the realization that I am allergic to mangos!
In a narrative similar to "The Orchid Thief" and "The Feather Thief" Gollner combines his own present-day journey into the cultures of obsession over a specific natural item (in this case fruit), with the historical story of the relationship between humans and the fruiting bodies if the plants around them. The historical narrative begins with our earliest ancestors picking fruit off of trees, to the Global Summer of our modern-day industrial fruit farms.
Like other books focused on certain natural topics, I love the interconnectedness between the natural world and our own human history, and the sense of adventure throughout the narrative. I'd recommend having your phone nearby while you read to look up pictures of the different fruits, like the coco-del-mar or the blue quandong.
I also guarantee you'll want to eat fruit while you read this. If I remember correctly, it was this book that led to a mango eating phase in my college life, and the realization that I am allergic to mangos!
July 12, 2012
My daughter suggested I should maybe stop reading the "no no no" books because it keeps affecting my life choices in fairly dramatic ways. She's joking, though, because she (like me) appreciates knowing about ways we may be damaging or helping the earth (that's the larger issue we were talking about).
I enjoyed this book on several levels, mostly because of the luscious invitation to appreciate real fruit (fresh from the tree, vine, plant). It has ruined my experience of the produce section of the supermarkets, even the "organic" style stores. Even the farmers' markets are in question now, too, when it comes to fruit. So, that's the down side.
I had no idea, not even a clue, that there were so many fruits in the world. I had no idea how many items I consider not-fruits actually are fruits.
This delved into mostly the personal passions of fruit appreciators and toward the end it touched on the politics and commerce issues.
There were times the lists of kinds of fruits were so long, it got a little dull. And, at times, it was a bit heavy with the facts and details (a good quality most would think). I don't imagine I would've gotten anywhere with the book if I had read the book-book instead of listening to the audiobook. Still, I'm glad I heard all of the words in the book. It was very worthwhile.
I enjoyed this book on several levels, mostly because of the luscious invitation to appreciate real fruit (fresh from the tree, vine, plant). It has ruined my experience of the produce section of the supermarkets, even the "organic" style stores. Even the farmers' markets are in question now, too, when it comes to fruit. So, that's the down side.
I had no idea, not even a clue, that there were so many fruits in the world. I had no idea how many items I consider not-fruits actually are fruits.
This delved into mostly the personal passions of fruit appreciators and toward the end it touched on the politics and commerce issues.
There were times the lists of kinds of fruits were so long, it got a little dull. And, at times, it was a bit heavy with the facts and details (a good quality most would think). I don't imagine I would've gotten anywhere with the book if I had read the book-book instead of listening to the audiobook. Still, I'm glad I heard all of the words in the book. It was very worthwhile.
March 1, 2010
For my eighth grade school year, I searched for enjoyable non-fiction books to read. I got this off the shelf in my mom's office when she recommended it. This was a good read, if I may say so myself, because of several factors, including humorous writing description by the author and the fun facts I was/am able to share with others. It took me a few weeks to read the book; there are so many stories, theories, and facts to soak up on each page. The book began with some strange stories about people who used fruit for sexual desire. I got through the first chapter with a scrunched up face and went on to the next, and the next, until I finished with a slightly broader mind on fruit and a awed fascination. Sometimes, as I sat to read, I would frown with jealousy at the fact that this man, Adam, could explore and eat fresh-off-the-tree tasty varieties of fruit, while I sat to eat my boring, out-of-season apple. If you can get a hold of a copy of this book, read it. Relish the descriptions of the many amazing tastes of fruits, eat your tennis ball apple in jealousy as I did, and cringe and laugh at the characters and their habits as you flip through the chapters.
July 12, 2017
Having read The Book of Immortality by Gollner and despised it, I was a little doubtful about the potential for this book. However, the idea of an entire book devoted to fruits seemed interesting enough to me to merit reading. In the end, while it was better than The Book of Immortality (perhaps given the more grounded subject it dealt with), Gollner’s style still managed to drag down the potential for his topic. He deals quite adequately with all the aspects of fruit cultivation, commerce, diplomacy and consumption. However, he seems determined to not let you forget that HE did all of the research. He constantly inserts himself into the story and seems obsessed with letting you know how he obtained this interview or that one. This constant interruption turns some parts of the book into quasi-travel logs that do very little for the topic and everything to make a reader like me irritated. All I would say is that there is sufficient information in the book to make it worth passing over the more useless parts.
December 17, 2018
If you can get past Gollner's creepy comparisons of fruit to women and women to fruit, and if you can close your eyes to his sexist undertones and the rape-y language of some of the people he features, and if you are willing to ignore the occasionally blatant oversexualization of women and even borderline racist descriptions, you *might* like this book. Gollner is clearly obsessive about his subject matter - all things exotic fruit - but his writing falls short of anything beyond "eh". I would recommend this book if you've exhausted all other resources on fruit. But Gollner is anything but an expert- at times, he asserts something is fact when it is not. Since his bio neglects to provide any kind of degree or expertise beyond being obsessive-borderline-fetishizing fruits, it's hard to trust Gardner. I didn't finish the book but skimmed the end.
September 11, 2016
Much more coherent than the film of the same name. Even though there are no pictures, the fruits were so well described that my mouth watered the whole time I was reading. Full of interesting tidbits about fruit science and history as well as ideas about the future of fruit.
The narrative style reminded me of Eels: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World's Most Mysterious Fish, where the research journey is part of the story, and the author an active character.
The narrative style reminded me of Eels: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World's Most Mysterious Fish, where the research journey is part of the story, and the author an active character.
March 18, 2016
Interesting study of exotic fruits around the world. The blueberry (my favorite fruit) only gets a few short mentions. The author mainly concentrated on fruits that aren't well known in the USA. He emphasizes how much better fruits taste when ripened on the tree. Modern transportation ruins tree-ripened fruit due to it being smashed during the trip. I am happy to live where there are roadside fresh produce stands galore. I've liked the writing style in other books of this type better than this one. Can't criticize his depth of study though - he traveled worldwide to visit (and taste) his subjects.
April 23, 2012
Frustratingly, there's a plethora of delectable exotic fruits most of us will never even see or know of. There's also a number of sometimes completely wacky obsessed people out there trying to collect, preserve, and propagate them. Adam Gollner does have an entertaining, informative writing style on this topic, but unfortunately presents countless interesting tidbits in a scattershot, non-fact-checked way, and despite his brilliant articulateness comes across as a snickering scatological sufferer of ADD.
February 9, 2009
This has a lot of interesting facts and anecdotes, but you could tear the pages apart and read them in any order. The lack of logical order or narrative structure kind of made it a drag to finish.
March 27, 2009
Needs moar (i.e. any) footnotes, and also better fact-checking.
August 28, 2014
Good read
August 15, 2021
¿Por donde comienzo?
Lo que (creí) prometía el libro era interesante; crónicas de las aventuras de diversas personas en busca de frutas, como algunas han logrado obtener nuevas variedades, de como otras se enfrentan a un mercado mezcla de competitivo, con trabas y sin interés. Pero no, no fue así.
Si bien el autor menciona nombres con sus respectivas aventuras, aciertos, dificultades, errores y en ocasiones trágico final, la gran mayoría es sobre su propio viaje en busca de alguna fruta o entrevista pero que no llega a ser del todo interesante pues pareciera el autor desea leamos una y otra vez sus andanzas y la gente con la cual se reúne, buena parte millonarios, como para asombrarnos pero podría haberlos descrito de otra forma que no resultaran desagradables (mujer que se cree gato, tipos que solo piensan en sexo mientras comen frutas o lo hacen con alguna de ellas, un tipo que grita ha beeeep con la mamá del autor, algunos bordan en lo racista y machista), o el cómo describe algunas mujeres (un par de “cougars”), escribiendo cosas que a nadie (supongo) interesa o que tiene que ver con el tema (y cuando despertó tras hacer el amor con una hermosa nativa, o, describió a mi novia como a “hottie” y el doy la razón), o su propia incapacidad para callarse la boca y no estar molestando con palabra o acción a otros.
Hay cosas raras, en el libro hay una parte donde entrevista al creador de una nueva variedad de manzana que sabe a uva, este decía no podía dar muchas explicaciones porque todos en la empresa han firmado más de 100 acuerdos de confidencialidad, llega el primo y zaz le dice al autor parte de lo que quiere saber, luego hace mas pesquisas y concluye que el sabor lo logran por usar un pesticida-no pesticida. Y digo yo, ¿porque aun no le llega una demanda?
Otro grave problema con este libro es el autor en ocasiones no escribe el nombre de la nueva fruta solo la describe, pero lo peor es que no hay fotografía o ilustración que acompañe dichos nombres.
Me la pasé con la laptop a un lado para ir buscando imágenes de las frutas.
Escribe de paso y sin profundizar sobre la explotación laboral e infantil que ocurre en varios países asiáticos, africanos y en el suyo propio, pero no lo condena.
Se habla de los peligros del contrabando de fruta y semillas entre países, ¿qué hace el autor? Introduce de contrabando cierta semilla, además de mentirle al oficial de aduana. Esto y otras cosas me hacen preguntarme si esto es real o invento en un nuevo intento de que le veamos como persona que lo arriesga todo por lo que cree.
Se mencionan varios sitios web, intenté entre en algunos y ya no existen, puede que pase con el resto.
Muy poca información interesante, aun así, cuando nombraba y describía algunas frutas pues si me despertaba el deseo de comerlas, o la que tuviese más cerca.
Hay ciertos puntos que toca y me parece bien que lo haya hecho:
- Muchas personas no saben de donde vienen los alimentos que ingieren.
- La deforestación, robo y trafico están acabando con varias especies de plantas, entre ellas las que producen fruta.
- Es necesario una mayor producción de frutas pero que además sean resistentes a enfermedades, pero a la mayoría de la población no esta de acuerdo pues se usa ingeniería genética para dichos cambios.
- La gente quiere probar algo nuevo, pero después se queja debido al precio y se va por opciones con menos calidad o cosas artificiales, como jugos embotellados o en polvo.
Ojala encuentre un libro que se enfoque en las personas que si han contribuido al descubrimiento, reproducción, conservación y comercio de frutas, y que incluya fotografías.
“People have no idea how their food grows and where it comes from," says Jaitt. "They just buy it in the supernarket"
Lo que (creí) prometía el libro era interesante; crónicas de las aventuras de diversas personas en busca de frutas, como algunas han logrado obtener nuevas variedades, de como otras se enfrentan a un mercado mezcla de competitivo, con trabas y sin interés. Pero no, no fue así.
Si bien el autor menciona nombres con sus respectivas aventuras, aciertos, dificultades, errores y en ocasiones trágico final, la gran mayoría es sobre su propio viaje en busca de alguna fruta o entrevista pero que no llega a ser del todo interesante pues pareciera el autor desea leamos una y otra vez sus andanzas y la gente con la cual se reúne, buena parte millonarios, como para asombrarnos pero podría haberlos descrito de otra forma que no resultaran desagradables (mujer que se cree gato, tipos que solo piensan en sexo mientras comen frutas o lo hacen con alguna de ellas, un tipo que grita ha beeeep con la mamá del autor, algunos bordan en lo racista y machista), o el cómo describe algunas mujeres (un par de “cougars”), escribiendo cosas que a nadie (supongo) interesa o que tiene que ver con el tema (y cuando despertó tras hacer el amor con una hermosa nativa, o, describió a mi novia como a “hottie” y el doy la razón), o su propia incapacidad para callarse la boca y no estar molestando con palabra o acción a otros.
Hay cosas raras, en el libro hay una parte donde entrevista al creador de una nueva variedad de manzana que sabe a uva, este decía no podía dar muchas explicaciones porque todos en la empresa han firmado más de 100 acuerdos de confidencialidad, llega el primo y zaz le dice al autor parte de lo que quiere saber, luego hace mas pesquisas y concluye que el sabor lo logran por usar un pesticida-no pesticida. Y digo yo, ¿porque aun no le llega una demanda?
Otro grave problema con este libro es el autor en ocasiones no escribe el nombre de la nueva fruta solo la describe, pero lo peor es que no hay fotografía o ilustración que acompañe dichos nombres.
Me la pasé con la laptop a un lado para ir buscando imágenes de las frutas.
Escribe de paso y sin profundizar sobre la explotación laboral e infantil que ocurre en varios países asiáticos, africanos y en el suyo propio, pero no lo condena.
Se habla de los peligros del contrabando de fruta y semillas entre países, ¿qué hace el autor? Introduce de contrabando cierta semilla, además de mentirle al oficial de aduana. Esto y otras cosas me hacen preguntarme si esto es real o invento en un nuevo intento de que le veamos como persona que lo arriesga todo por lo que cree.
Se mencionan varios sitios web, intenté entre en algunos y ya no existen, puede que pase con el resto.
Muy poca información interesante, aun así, cuando nombraba y describía algunas frutas pues si me despertaba el deseo de comerlas, o la que tuviese más cerca.
Hay ciertos puntos que toca y me parece bien que lo haya hecho:
- Muchas personas no saben de donde vienen los alimentos que ingieren.
- La deforestación, robo y trafico están acabando con varias especies de plantas, entre ellas las que producen fruta.
- Es necesario una mayor producción de frutas pero que además sean resistentes a enfermedades, pero a la mayoría de la población no esta de acuerdo pues se usa ingeniería genética para dichos cambios.
- La gente quiere probar algo nuevo, pero después se queja debido al precio y se va por opciones con menos calidad o cosas artificiales, como jugos embotellados o en polvo.
Ojala encuentre un libro que se enfoque en las personas que si han contribuido al descubrimiento, reproducción, conservación y comercio de frutas, y que incluya fotografías.
“People have no idea how their food grows and where it comes from," says Jaitt. "They just buy it in the supernarket"
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