An interesting bit of history which provides a clear example of the validity of the old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely ( )

This book deals with the United Fruit Company and how they did business in Central America growing, selling and using their clout to move bananas. It also tells about United States policy in the region led to unstable governments and U.S. intervention in Guatemala and Nicaragua. ( )

Peter Chapman is a journalist and author, who works for the Financial Times and has done so since 1995. He was formerly a foreign correspondent in South and Central America for the BBC and the Guardian. He graduated from the London School of Economics with a masters in economics. He knows what he’s talking about.
Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World by Peter Chapman is a detailed history of the United Fruit Company and its many challenges and duplicities that occurred in its pursuit of wealth through hemispherical domination. The UFC was the company responsible for facilitating the banana’s transformation from an underappreciated fruit to the fourth most major food in the world, after rice, wheat and milk.
It all started with the railroads. Developing countries such as Colombia and Ecuador both wanted railroads so that they could transport their own bananas and other things across and out of their country, but neither country to afford it. With the help of people like Minor Keith and Sam Zemurray (also known as the banana king) the United Fruit Company approached those countries and proposed to build them railroads “for free,” in exchange for large parcels of land where they could grow their own bananas. In both countries, the United Fruit Company largely remained in control of those railroads, which means they received revenue from other people exporting and importing, and also could transport their own bananas for free. This also encouraged independent banana growers to only grow bananas to sell to the United Fruit Company, who would then sell to other people, because it was cheaper than paying the UFC to export them directly to a buyer outside the country. This is how the UFC established themselves as a major power in Central America, and how they kept their power both over individuals and governments.
Because the UFC had so much money and land, they operated basically unregulated. The UFC coddled and encouraged central american dictators, and defined perfected the emerging field of public relations. The orchestrated regime changes many times, and suppressed their workers through a mix of paternalism and violence.
Bananas represented fast profits and more employment opportunities for countries that were struggling financially. Countries like Honduras, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador all trustingly let the UFC into their borders, and the consequences of that are still being felt today. Once an economy is based on a single export, if something happens to that export it is felt through every part of society. Since bananas don’t mate sexually, every banana is biologically identical. This makes them very susceptible to disease. Multiple bouts of a banana disease called Panama disease weakened the UFC financially, but also was terrible for the economies that depended on them. The UFC became so powerful in the United States government, that during the good times they could exert power on a whim. But the series of booms and busts the company endured wreaked havoc on the people of the countries they economically controlled.
This book had a lot of moving parts. It is clearly a critique on globalization and the dangers of relying on a monoculture to support entire populations. The very beginning of the book has a list of 34 people who are considered major players in the creation of banana republics, and he really does talk about all of them. This made the book interesting, and it was very in-depth, but it was a little hard to follow. It’s a complex topic, and Chapman does a fine job, despite the massive quantity of information he is desperately attempting to cram into 200 pages. The information is accurate and relevant, but by trying to focus on every aspect, from the history and the politics, to the culture and the ecological side of things, Chapman’s intricate story can be hard to follow and tedious to comprehend. Although I think that Chapman does romanticize the rise of the banana a little bit, it is definitely still a worthwhile, information-filled read.

Three stars for content, one star for writing style, so two stars overall. Chapman presents very interesting information rather haphazardly, leaving many questions unanswered. In addition, he's a pretty clunky writer. The reader has to work to follow his inexplicable mid-paragraph topic changes and unfortunate grammar.

The content is worth it, if the reader perseveres. Chapman provides some background on bananas' natural history and modern banana culture. He associates this with the history of the United Fruit Company, focusing on its agricultural practices (monoculture, pesticides) and political practices (monopolies, underhanded dealings, colluding with military forces to take over countries (whence, apparently, the phrase "banana republic"), and intimidation.

It's a useful story to consider as we examine the espoused and covert roles of the U.S. in the Middle East. Unfortunately, Chapman makes it hard to keep reading. ( )

Really interesting multi-national story about such an everyday food. ( )