Peter Laufer is a journalist who has written a lot about war and other deeply depressing topics, and one day he concluded a real downer of a talk about his work with a joke: "That's why my next book is going to be about butterflies and flowers." Afterwards, an audience member wrote and invited him to her butterfly farm in Nicaragua. And thus, without quite intending to, he ended up writing a book about butterflies, after all. Except that it turns out that even butterflies aren't an entirely happy topic, and he ended up writing about butterflies whose habitats are shrinking or are located in troubled countries, the world of endangered butterfly smuggling, and bitter disputes between butterfly enthusiasts with a look-but-don't-touch approach and those willing to stick pins in them.

It's a great origin story for a book, and, although I don't have any special interest in butterflies, I often enjoy this kind of book, where an author digs deep into the unfamiliar aspects of a familiar subject. But while this one was reasonably interesting, for some reason it never really gripped me all that much. I'm not sure if it's that Laufer's writing, while perfectly decent, lacks zing, or whether I just wasn't in quite the right mood for it, or what. I also find the lack of a photo section regrettable, as it would have been nice to have pictures of the butterflies he's describing. ( )

This was emptier and less engaging than I expected, and not to the general standard of the genre. It was uneven, with some sections very good and others simply insufficient. Like Blechman's [b:Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird|462499|Pigeons The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird|Andrew D. Blechman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266560857s/462499.jpg|2528950], this is a natural and cultural history by an outsider without much background in the topic, with a tone that is more puzzled than affectionate. The puzzlement isn't as funny to the reader as Laufer seems to think. The tone crept toward disdainful at times, with a whiff of contempt for people Laufer repeatedly calls "butterfly huggers." People who know nothing about butterflies might enjoy this; don't give it to your lepidopterist friend, because it is likely to annoy her. ( )

Interesting. Very readable. Very journalistic. A lot about butterflies.

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/2009/05/book-review-dangerous-world-of.html ( )