Laufer's latest book is an intriguing look at the subcultures which have grown up around butterflies in the past few decades. None of the sections fail to entertain. Unfortunately, the breadth of the activities and personalities he covers make the overall work somewhat scattershot in both tone and content. Some of the chapters are quite informative, while others delve into rhetoric and narrative that might be considered arcane or a bit pointless even to those involved in butterflying. Fortunately, Laufer can tell a good story, and the overall tone of the book, title notwithstanding, is quite upbeat, so it's hard to begrudge him his digressions. ( )

What could be dangerous about butterflies? Investigative journalist Peter Laufer shows us there’s a lot more to butterflies than just looking pretty.

This book is not about science. Nor is this book about the cultural symbolism of butterflies. It’s not even mostly about butterflies. It’s about people. How and why people care so much about and do such outlandish thing with and for the most beautiful insects in creation. If you believe in creation, which also gets chewed over a little.

Laufer made a casual remark that he needed a break from heavy topics like war, immigration policy, and prisons. So, what’s his next book? Butterflies and flowers! But when a butterfly entrepreneur challenged him to really investigate the world of butterflies, starting with a jaunt down to Nicaragua, he bites.

And what does he find? Why, danger and controversy, of course, and secrets and obsessions. And people with very strongly held but opposed views on butterflies and so much else.

There’s lots of “who knew?” facts and plenty of “who thought this up?” schemes. I doubt many readers will already be familiar with the role of butterflies across the wide range of issues covered—conservation, small businesses, human relationships with animals and the environment, law enforcement, national security, art, and religion.

This light survey of these topics for interested, but not expert, readers is a worthwhile read for a wide audience of people. You don’t have to love butterflies to find something interesting here. And who doesn’t love butterflies? Laufer even digs up a few who don’t. ( )

I picked up Peter Laufer's The Dangerous World of Butterflies (Lyons Press, 2009) this week when I found myself stranded without a book (a painful experience). Knowing something of Laufer's previous works (on illegal immigration, Americans in foreign prisons, and the Iraq War) I was intrigued that he would take up butterflies. Then I read the introduction, in which Laufer admits that the book came about because of a glib comment in answer to the perennial "what's your next book about?" question at every reading. To one such questioner, Laufer answered that because he'd been writing so long about tough issues, "my next book is going to be about butterflies and flowers." An American expat living on a butterfly reserva in Nicaragua emailed Laufer and suggested he take his own suggestion, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This book is very similar to Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief or Andrew Blechman's Pigeons, but with butterflies. Smugglers, thieves, collectors, scientists, detectives, breeders and artists all factor in as Laufer meets with and profiles various characters from around the world whose lives put them in contact with butterflies. It's fascinating to watch as Laufer becomes more keyed into the butterfly culture himself - even starting to toss around scientific jargon and finding himself seeing butterflies where before he wouldn't have given them a second glance.

While I think Laufer could have gone a bit more in-depth on some of the issues he tackles, and could have provided a bit more analysis in places, the book is a fine addition to this genre. I recommend it.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )