The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
&#8220;A fascinating read from cover to cover.&#8221; (Associated Press)&#8220;Bees are amazing. That&#8217;s the first reason to readThe Beekeeper&#8217;s Lament, journalist Hannah Nordhaus&#8217;s rewarding account of migratory beekeeping and the mysterious scourge stalking the domestic bee population&#8230; It&#8217;s metaphorical and poetic, elegiac and somehow sad.&#8221; (Christian Science Monitor)&#8220;The Beekeeper&#8217;s Lamentis at once science lesson, sociological study, and breezy read&#8230;.A book about bees could easily descend into academe, but the author settles for nothing less than literature.&#8221; (Boston Globe)&#8220;Nordhaus, an award-winning journalist, weaves a dramatic tale of how and why beehives and bees themselves are threatened by everything from mites to moths to bee thieves.&#8221; (Washington Post)&#8220;The book is a rich mix of head and heart.&#8221; (Minneapolis Star Tribune)&#8220;Echoing Rachel Carson&#8217;s 1962 attack on the effects of pesticides,Silent Spring, Nordhaus explores this fascinating subject, providing long overdue recognition to the beekeeper and their task as stewards of a species.&#8221; (Financial Times)&#8220;A fascinating peek into the precarious business of keeping the nation&#8217;s crops pollinated.&#8221; (Smithsonian)&#8220;Some of the best narrative and storytelling I&#8217;ve had the pleasure of reading since Rebecca Skloot&#8217;sThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks...You must read this book.&#8221; (Maggie Koerth-Baker,Boing Boing)&#8220;A remarkable book&#8230;.Nordhaus uses a somber, lyrical writing style to make bees into just about the most fascinating subject you&#8217;ve ever encountered while at the same time crafting an elegiac metaphor for the contingency of modern American life.&#8221; (The Millions)&#8220;A graceful, informative, and engaging book.&#8221; (Hill Rag)&#8220;Her book is extraordinary in its breadth and depth, and most of all, it is exquisitely written&#8230;.The Beekeeper&#8217;s Lamentoffers us a fascinating peek into the diverse, interrelated, and worrisome aspects of the beekeeper&#8217;s world....Enjoyable and enlightening.&#8221; (AlterNet)&#8220;A crackerjack story&#8230;the author struck gold&#8230;.Nordhaus is a lively writer who&#8230;ably conveys the economics of the trade&#8230;and is just as able to describe the romance and miracle of honey&#8230;.A smooth-as-honeytour d&#8217;horizonof the raggedy world of beekeeping.&#8221; (Kirkus Reviews(starred review))&#8220;In this revelatory, bittersweet investigation into the state of commercial beekeeping in the 21st century, Nordhaus follows the migratory life of a commercial beekeeper, John Miller, as he trucks his bees between California and North Dakota...and, against all odds, keep[s] his bees and his business alive.&#8221; (Publishers Weekly(starred review))&#8220;Miller is a complex and colorful man, and his story, along with the story of the bees, is an engaging read.&#8221; (Booklist)&#8220;Highly recommended as both a character study and a compelling popular science work for interested readers.&#8221; (Library Journal)&#8220;This book is a terrific read.&#8221; (American Bee Journal)&#8220;I lovedThe Beekeeper&#8217;s Lament. With great reporting and great writing, Hannah Nordhaus gives a new angle on an ever-evolving topic. You&#8217;ll learn a lot.&#8221; (Bernd Heinrich, author ofWinter WorldandMind of the Raven)&#8220;Hannah Nordhaus has written an engaging account of the men and insects who put food on our tables.The Beekeeper&#8217;s Lamentis a sweet, sad story.&#8221; (Elizabeth Kolbert, author ofField Notes from a Catastrophe)&#8220;Rollicking, buzzing, and touching meditation on mortality....You&#8217;ll never think of bees, their keepers, or the fruits (and nuts) of their labors the same way again.&#8221; (Trevor Corson, author ofThe Secret Life of LobstersandThe Story of Sushi)