Bananas: An American History

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!

The book is brand new and I was with the Panama with American for bananas gurading the train did kill a guy for burning the bananas on te train. All of you should read the book is very good.

Who would have thought there was so much to say about the modern love affair between America and bananas? I should have known it, though, for at Mathcamp the staff had entire wars based on bananas and the pilfering thereof. We snuck extras out of the cafeteria, hid them in refrigerators, even wrote our names on the peels in a feeble attempt to secure a personal, steady supply. Alas, it was not to be. How did this miracle fruit go from being an exotic food item for the rich to the universal snack? Jenkins tells us how, in this very thoroughly researched book. Pretty much anything you want to know about bananas in the 20th century is here: medical attitudes, recipes, social status, trade wars, banana jokes ("I'm sorry, I can't hear you -- I've got a banana in my ear.") - you name it, it's in here, which is surprising for such a relatively trim book. She's got a slew of references in the back, should you ever wish to check her sources; for the less academic of us, there's also an extensive list of banana songs.Bananas are such a workaday fruit, we forget how important they have been in reflecting society. With each new medical fad, bananas reinvent themselves as a perfect food; during the period where dirty fruit was a concern, the thick peel of the banana was a boon; when vitamins, minerals, and proteins were seen as important, bananas were found to have such things in abundance; when high-calories and high-fat were a concern, bananas were found to be an energy-full, low-fat snack. Even stranger, at one point in history, bananas were considered a treatment for celiac disease (an extreme form of gluten-intolerance - so basically all breads and grains are inedible to such children, and many died due to malnutrition); duringWorld War II, during which much of the banana supply was cut off, there were stories of frantic parents mobilizing entire towns to round up banana supplies for their sick children, sure that their childrenwould die without bananas. And yet, in just a generation previous, parents had been warned against giving =any= raw fruits or vegetables to children under the age of 7. The chapter in which this fascinatingmaterial resides is called "Peril and Panacea", which provides a prismatic view of the changing medical atmosphere in America in the 20th century. A few other details which I found interesting: there were banana cookbooks, one of the recipes being for "Bananas and Bacon" - I kid you not. There's even a picture of it in the book. As well, much of the editorial cartoons and jokesinvolving banana peels reflected anti-immigrant sentiment, once bananas had become so cheap even the newly arrived poor could afford to eat them. Of course, there are a couple of obligatory "bananaas phallus" remarks (explaining why proper young women were to use a knife and fork to eat the offending fruit), but they do not overwhelm. Sometimes a banana is just a banana.The only other fruit that could possibly have had as much impact on the American psyche is the apple (well, maybe the orange). Though this is a history book, it is far from dry, and Jenkins lets off a couplezingers of her own. If you've ever eaten a banana or know someone who has, this book is for you; so I guess that means about everyone. I have no idea, then, why this isn't at the top of the bestseller list.

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.

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.