Part history lesson, part adventure story, Koeppel weaves the evolution of the yummy breakfast fruit from obscure island crop grown for its starchy root to booming international fruit success story. The tale is punctuated with robber barrens of the produce industry, third world leaders (malevolent, benign, and downtrodden), and victimized indigenous populations who fall victim to their money hungry schemes.
The story reads at times like a parable, or perhaps a fable: that mother nature will always find a way to trump man, and the best we can hope is to stay one step ahead of her. By the time the story ends, readers will certainly have a much deeper appreciation for the fruit, and may enjoy each golden finger a little more knowing disease and blight could wipe out the Cavendish for good!