Whatever this means in terms of increased historical profundity, in practical terms it results in narrative that is not particularly flowing and only occasionally does the book tell gripping stories.
The author wants to "place emphasis on the explanatory power of historical narrative," and "craft a story in which both explanation and meaning exist in creative tension" (p. Unfortunately, their academic orientation limits their audience, and authors must be content with having at best an indirect influence on popular opinion.īanana Cultures is decidedly of this second type. Not as fun as the first, they are in the end more thought provoking. The second, written in denser prose, discuss conditions of production, systems of distribution and patterns of consumption. " These books occasionally become bestsellers, and in some cases appear on presidential reading lists, as did Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky.
The first, generally non-academic, highly readable, tell a set of stories about the foodstuff, sometimes include some recipes, share some trivia, and make exaggerated claims about their subject-"bananas: the fruit that changed the world. BANANA CULTURES: AGRICULTURE, CONSUMPTION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN HONDURAS AND THE UNITED STATES by John Soluri (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2005).īooks about single foods or commodities tend to come in two flavors.
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