charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading about bees, and found the info on how the bee population is maintained fascinating and worrying.
canadiyank's review against another edition
3.0
I'd love to see an update from the recent years, as many of the things have changed again in beekeeping since she started the research on this book (i.e., oxalic acid vapor as a mite treatment has been legalized). Very insightful look, overall, from the main perspective of one man's journey as a migrating beekeeper. Good luck at the challenges of beekeeping in today's world.
babs_jellymuck's review
4.0
This book was extremely informative on the lifestyle of America's pollinators. I learned a lot about bee life, the symbiotic relationship between mono-croppers and pollinators, and the perils that face today's bees--enough to want to continue learning, and possibly try out my own hive someday. I also felt that the writing flow was engaging...
...BUT, I have to mention, there were times in this book where POC were brought up in a seemingly ethnocentric way and it made me raise an eyebrow. For instance, when describing life in the Modesto, she writes:"...there is little rural romance here. The valley smells like a brew of fertilizer, chemicals and manure, and it hosts an eternal ebb and flow of Hispanic migrant workers." I'm probably being sensitive, but to me the lack of "rural romance" is probably due to the wasteland left behind by large-scale agriculture, not migrant workers. There was also a scene where one of Miller's employees, a transplant from South Africa, is getting trashed in a bar and talking about how much he hated "black people." The writer bowed out of the conversation (and went as far as to mention the episode in this book), but there was no mention of any consequences from this behavior on part of Miller. It was only when the police complained to him that the same worker trashed a donated park bench by FFA that he was fired. So either it was the straw that broke the camel's back, or the primary concern here is the bench.
...BUT, I have to mention, there were times in this book where POC were brought up in a seemingly ethnocentric way and it made me raise an eyebrow. For instance, when describing life in the Modesto, she writes:"...there is little rural romance here. The valley smells like a brew of fertilizer, chemicals and manure, and it hosts an eternal ebb and flow of Hispanic migrant workers." I'm probably being sensitive, but to me the lack of "rural romance" is probably due to the wasteland left behind by large-scale agriculture, not migrant workers. There was also a scene where one of Miller's employees, a transplant from South Africa, is getting trashed in a bar and talking about how much he hated "black people." The writer bowed out of the conversation (and went as far as to mention the episode in this book), but there was no mention of any consequences from this behavior on part of Miller. It was only when the police complained to him that the same worker trashed a donated park bench by FFA that he was fired. So either it was the straw that broke the camel's back, or the primary concern here is the bench.
auntblh's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting look at the beekeeping industry and the life of a bee. It made me realize how much we rely on bees for pollination and how much it really takes to make any honey.
ltmurr's review against another edition
4.0
I now know more about bees than I thought possible or necessary. The storytelling was good, especially for such dense non fiction.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
Although this gets unnecessarily repetitive at times, it's a fascinating exploration of beekeeping and the challenges beekeepers have in protecting their livelihoods. There's so much in here I knew nothing about and now I'm going to think about whenever I see bees or indulge in my daily honey with breakfast.
I'd originally picked this up hoping to draw some conclusions for myself on the consumption of honey. I love it, since it's a natural sweetener, but I know it's drawn so much conversation in the vegan community. While I'm not vegan, I'm fascinated by how something that seems cut and dry isn't. I'd hoped there would be more of that sort of social element to this book, and to an extent, the second to last chapter hits on everything I was interested in (sociopolitical issues relating to honey and bees, including a look at different types of honey and how they're called what they are). Even though the whole of the book wasn't what I hoped for, it was worth my time, and I absolutely have an answer to my honey-related consumption questions.
Likewise, I now know how to tell when it's really good honey or really crummy honey. And, despite how much I love fancy German honey, perhaps I'll consider going back to local raw Wisconsin honey. We'll see.
I'd originally picked this up hoping to draw some conclusions for myself on the consumption of honey. I love it, since it's a natural sweetener, but I know it's drawn so much conversation in the vegan community. While I'm not vegan, I'm fascinated by how something that seems cut and dry isn't. I'd hoped there would be more of that sort of social element to this book, and to an extent, the second to last chapter hits on everything I was interested in (sociopolitical issues relating to honey and bees, including a look at different types of honey and how they're called what they are). Even though the whole of the book wasn't what I hoped for, it was worth my time, and I absolutely have an answer to my honey-related consumption questions.
Likewise, I now know how to tell when it's really good honey or really crummy honey. And, despite how much I love fancy German honey, perhaps I'll consider going back to local raw Wisconsin honey. We'll see.