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A review by randyrasa
American Harvest: God, Country, and Farming in the Heartland by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
2.0
Not sure what to make of this. Despite many interesting bits of writing, the end result was just kind of an unformed lump of information. There are really no conclusions drawn from the topics covered, and no answers to the questions discussed. I don't really see the point of the book.
I found many aspects extremely frustrating. Discussing modern farming without mentioning climate change and water management? How is it even possible to gloss over those fundamental issues? There's a brief section about the farming monoculture, but the concerns are immediately dismissed by saying that farmers raise more than one crop. That's not the point at all. The point is that vast portions of the earth's surface have been converted from a diverse ecosystem of hundreds or thousands of species to just a few species, with disastrous consequences for wildlife, insects, invertebrates, and ultimately humans.
The questions around religion and politics, though discussed at length, are not really looked at in any depth. The slices of Christianity examined are likewise extremely narrow and superficial.
The book promised a lot more than it delivered. Very disappointing.
I found many aspects extremely frustrating. Discussing modern farming without mentioning climate change and water management? How is it even possible to gloss over those fundamental issues? There's a brief section about the farming monoculture, but the concerns are immediately dismissed by saying that farmers raise more than one crop. That's not the point at all. The point is that vast portions of the earth's surface have been converted from a diverse ecosystem of hundreds or thousands of species to just a few species, with disastrous consequences for wildlife, insects, invertebrates, and ultimately humans.
The questions around religion and politics, though discussed at length, are not really looked at in any depth. The slices of Christianity examined are likewise extremely narrow and superficial.
The book promised a lot more than it delivered. Very disappointing.