“You’ll never think of bees, their keepers, or the fruits (and nuts) of their labors the same way again.” —Trevor Corson, author of The Secret Life of Lobsters
Award-winning journalist Hannah Nordhaus tells the remarkable story of John Miller, one of America’s foremost migratory beekeepers, and the myriad and mysterious epidemics threatening American honeybee populations. In luminous, … razor-sharp prose, Nordhaus explores the vital role that honeybees play in American agribusiness, the maintenance of our food chain, and the very future of the nation. With an intimate focus and incisive reporting, in a book perfect for fans of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire,and John McPhee’s Oranges, Nordhaus’s stunning exposé illuminates one the most critical issues facing the world today,offering insight, information, and, ultimately, hope.
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Recent interest in the honey of local farmers prompted me to read this and I love its charm and the tale of hard work on a subject little understood. I never .look at honey the way I used to. It and the bees are precious.
This book finally answers the question: what happened to all of the honeybees? (Spoiler alert: combined factors) But it does so in a very engaging and easy to follow narrative.
Wonderful book. Lofs of web building from beekeeping to our American culture at large. She handles a ton of information while staying interesting and engaging.
Realistic concern related to mankind and disregard for nature. Mankind needs to realize their requirement to protect the “garden of Eden”
Probably not for every one. I am a backyard bee keeper so I found this book very informative.
Probably not one in 10,000 people have any conception of the life and importance of nomadic, commercial bee keepers for the food we eat.
I was surprised how well written it was & entertaining about a subject you don’t hear much about but we should. This industry is important.
My husband continues to insist that my Thanksgiving reading, The Beekeeper’s Lament, sounds like one of the most boring books ever written. I assure you, it’s anything but. Yes, the topic is bees and beekeeping – the types, anatomy, habits, and afflictions of honey bees and why keeping them has never been harder work. More broadly, however, this …
To be fair, I didn’t finish this book as I didn’t find it engaging at all. I’ve reached the age where I weigh content in a book to what it will cost me in time, as I’m no longer young, and this did not make the cut. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly, but this wasn’t it.
Amidst anecdotes, a frightening picture of how demand for food has impacted a crucial part of agriculture. Colony collapse is a complex interaction between biology, population shifts and desire for easy profit making.
Great organization of interesting factual information and human interest
Everyone needs to read this book!!