Published: June 17, 2010
The World According to Monsanto By Marie-Monique Robin Review
By Clark Isaacs 
Many years ago, "The Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, evoked such shocking revelations with regard to our senses when it described the catastrophic possibilities by the continued use of pesticides, destruction of our environment, and downfall of the earth as we know it. Through the years there have been awards given for outstanding achievements in media under the Rachel Carson Prize name. "The World According to Monsanto" was a documentary film made by Marie-Monique Robin and took three years to research across four continents as she tied together many stories which exposed Monsanto's lethal product. It received the coveted Rachel Carson award in 2009.
Agent Orange was codenamed by the military and resulted in the death or disability of over 400,000 people and was recognized as being instrumental in the on-going problems of our servicemen who served in Vietnam. It was manufactured by Monsanto!
"Roundup" is a pesticide which is widely used in agriculture around the world. Genetic Modification of plants and crops was developed by Monsanto to make various seeds resistant to Roundup so that it would kill the weeds without harming the seedlings. Robin's book illustrates the failings of this giant chemical company by not testing or ignoring results of tests upon soil, contaminating nearby crops which were not using their patented seeds, and rendering fertile soil inert over a period of years.
One failing of this book is there is too much information provided. There are many different stories, many different products, and nations which are affected. Going through this carefully documented book will take time, but is well worth the exercise. It seems that many of the lawmakers in various countries had very little knowledge of the effects of the wonder modifications which made up the product line of Monsanto.
Milk from cows is modified so that it now becomes questionable whether to give it to your children. Many of the interviews conducted by Marie-Monique Robin indicated that scientists, lawmakers, and others with knowledge of how milk could be disastrous to health and well being would only use Organic milk that came from cows which had not been treated with Monsanto's chemicals.
Conflicts in the administration of laws here in the United States have resulted in some loopholes which have also been exposed by Robin. She points out that the Federal Drug Administration had relinquished some authority regarding food safety to the Environmental Protection Agency, when in fact they did not know enough about the genetic modification or drugs which were administered to animals or fused into plants.
Many of the troubles in the United States are repeated in South America, Europe, and Canada. Robin visited all of the places where there seemed to be problems; she interviewed scientists, professors, agency representatives and has developed a classic expose'. Even if you do not fully grasp the impact of her revelations, this book will make you think twice about the food you buy at the grocery store. Becoming vegetarian or eating soy products is not necessarily the answer. Soy beans produced today which are genetically modified could be the cause of some concern when you feed them to your children or eat them yourself. Many products are only approved for consumption by animals and somehow they get into the human food chain.
"The World According to Monsanto" highlights a lot of concerns we face today. Mad Cow disease, contamination of food, recalls of some foods, and recent announcements regarding the serving of peanuts on planes. Enlighten yourself and examine this book which is highly recommended. Our family switched to organic milk upon completion of the part about what the Monsanto injections might cause!
The World According to Monsanto
Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of our Food Supply
An investigation into the World's most Controversial Company
Author: Marie-Monique Robin
ISBN: 1595584269
Publication Date: June 15, 2010,
Hardcover, Non-Fiction,
Published by: The New Press
Publisher Weekly Best Selling Books:
Week of June 13, 2010
Fiction
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Stieg Larsson, trans. from the Swedish by Reg Keeland;
2. Bullet Laurell K. Hamilton;
3. The Spy Clive Cussler, Justin Scott;
4. The Help Kathryn Stockett;
5. Dead in the Family Charlaine Harris;
Non-Fiction
1. Women Food and God Geneen Roth;
2. Sh*t My Dad Says Justin Halpern;
3. Spoken from the Heart Laura Bush;
4. War Sebastian Junger;
5. The Big Short Michael Lewis;
Clark Isaacs is an accomplished book critic who is published in local newspapers and national book review lists. He also is a faculty member of Mohave Community College in Kingman Arizona. Visit Clark Isaacs at http://clarkisaacs.ning.com and tell him what you would like to have him write about.
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