Book-It 'o9! Book #29
More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a library request.
Title: The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer
Details: Copyright 2009, The Lyons Press
Synopsis (By Way of Inside Flap): "War weary after writing a book about Iraq and psychologically fatigued by a career of reporting bad and sad news, Peter Laufer jokingly said his next book would be about butterflies and flowers, simple analogies for love and peace. The result: an invitation to a butterfly preserve in Nicaragua where he soon discovered the behind-the-scenes world of collectors, criminals, and cops obsessed with one of nature's most compelling miracles.
The Dangerous World of Butterflies chronicles Laufer's adventures within the butterfly industry and the butterfly underground. He examines the allure of butterflies and recounts the constant role they have played throughout history and across cultures in mythology nad art. But his research takes an unpredictable turn into the high-stake realms of organized crime, ecological devastation, species depletion, the integrity of museum collections, and chaos theory.
Along with beauty and renewal, the butterfly has become an unwitting symbol for greed and vanity. Laufer's ever-expanding journey of discovery throughout the Americas and beyond offers a rare look into a theater of intrigue, peopled with quirky and nefarious characters-- all in pursuit of these delicate, beautiful creatures.
Read this book, and your garden-- and the world-- will never look quite the same."
Why I Wanted to Read It: I had seen the author on The Daily Show and I was interested in the criminal aspects (I've got a lifelong interest in zoology in general and natural history museums especially).
How I Liked It: I've yet to read any of Laufer's other books (yet), but he does relate his experiences without the "David Sedaris Syndrome" that has afflicted so many authors (of all genres). He relates his experiences with humor and candor (of course), but never to the point of overshadowing the story (or stories). The characters (and they really are characters) are memorable and Laufer's prose never didactic. He presents several "points of view" as far as butterfly breeding (for commercial purposes), butterfly conservationists, butterfly artists (who use butterfly parts in their work-- no, really), and a conservationist that manages to come off as respectable despite his disbelief in evolution. Laufer weaves all of these elements together well and at a reasonably fast (but not rushed) pace.
Notable: When interviewing Ron Boender, the founder and proprietor of Butterfly World, the first commercial butterfly farm and commercial butterfly enclosure in the US, Boender reveals he is "an O'Reilly fan". The subject of O'Reilly came up when Boender discovered the author had been interviewed by O'Reilly for his book Wetback Nation. Laufer gives a surprising view of backstage at The Factor:
"I tell Boender about the behind-the-scenes reality in O'Reilly's studio. 'O'Reilly introduced himself during a commercial just before we went on the air,' I explain. 'He said, "Peter, here's what we're going to do. I'll give you thirty seconds to explain your point of view and then I'll make fun of it."'" (pg 206)
That sounds surprisingly similiar to The Colbert Report which, if you recall, is among other things, a spoof of O'Reilly. Maybe O'Reilly's more self-aware than we thought? Then again, maybe not.
Title: The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer
Details: Copyright 2009, The Lyons Press
Synopsis (By Way of Inside Flap): "War weary after writing a book about Iraq and psychologically fatigued by a career of reporting bad and sad news, Peter Laufer jokingly said his next book would be about butterflies and flowers, simple analogies for love and peace. The result: an invitation to a butterfly preserve in Nicaragua where he soon discovered the behind-the-scenes world of collectors, criminals, and cops obsessed with one of nature's most compelling miracles.
The Dangerous World of Butterflies chronicles Laufer's adventures within the butterfly industry and the butterfly underground. He examines the allure of butterflies and recounts the constant role they have played throughout history and across cultures in mythology nad art. But his research takes an unpredictable turn into the high-stake realms of organized crime, ecological devastation, species depletion, the integrity of museum collections, and chaos theory.
Along with beauty and renewal, the butterfly has become an unwitting symbol for greed and vanity. Laufer's ever-expanding journey of discovery throughout the Americas and beyond offers a rare look into a theater of intrigue, peopled with quirky and nefarious characters-- all in pursuit of these delicate, beautiful creatures.
Read this book, and your garden-- and the world-- will never look quite the same."
Why I Wanted to Read It: I had seen the author on The Daily Show and I was interested in the criminal aspects (I've got a lifelong interest in zoology in general and natural history museums especially).
How I Liked It: I've yet to read any of Laufer's other books (yet), but he does relate his experiences without the "David Sedaris Syndrome" that has afflicted so many authors (of all genres). He relates his experiences with humor and candor (of course), but never to the point of overshadowing the story (or stories). The characters (and they really are characters) are memorable and Laufer's prose never didactic. He presents several "points of view" as far as butterfly breeding (for commercial purposes), butterfly conservationists, butterfly artists (who use butterfly parts in their work-- no, really), and a conservationist that manages to come off as respectable despite his disbelief in evolution. Laufer weaves all of these elements together well and at a reasonably fast (but not rushed) pace.
Notable: When interviewing Ron Boender, the founder and proprietor of Butterfly World, the first commercial butterfly farm and commercial butterfly enclosure in the US, Boender reveals he is "an O'Reilly fan". The subject of O'Reilly came up when Boender discovered the author had been interviewed by O'Reilly for his book Wetback Nation. Laufer gives a surprising view of backstage at The Factor:
"I tell Boender about the behind-the-scenes reality in O'Reilly's studio. 'O'Reilly introduced himself during a commercial just before we went on the air,' I explain. 'He said, "Peter, here's what we're going to do. I'll give you thirty seconds to explain your point of view and then I'll make fun of it."'" (pg 206)
That sounds surprisingly similiar to The Colbert Report which, if you recall, is among other things, a spoof of O'Reilly. Maybe O'Reilly's more self-aware than we thought? Then again, maybe not.