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liralen's review against another edition
3.0
One of those not-my-cuppa books, I think; I wouldn't have made it through had it not been assigned reading for class...but it might be a more palatable read for those who are interested in learning more about GMOs.
Shetterly started investigating GMO food after she was diagnosed with an allergy to GMO corn—not corn itself but, if I understand it correctly, the pesticides that have been bred into some (or perhaps, at this point, most) corn. She wrote an article; there was a ton of pushback; she did more research and wrote a book.
There's a reasonable attempt to explore both sides of the issue (GMOs cause no problems vs. GMOs do cause problems) and to provide some balance, though that falls largely by the wayside in the second half of the book, as Shetterly's not really coming at it from a neutral perspective. I take no issue with that (a given book doesn't have to give equal space to every side of a debate!), although I wondered whether it would have resonated more with me had it been set up differently—less a question of whether or not GMOs can be problematic and more a question of...I don't know. What problems they cause and where to go from there? That's not quite right. To a reader (me!) who wants to see how it is affecting people on a personal level, there wasn't really enough of the personal (what about other people who had developed allergies? How common is that as a problem?), though I suspect that for those who just want to understand the science there will be a bit too much personal. A tricky balance.
Also: am now slightly afraid of the honey in my cupboard. Trying not to blame the messenger here. Should have done as most of the class did and skimmed!
Shetterly started investigating GMO food after she was diagnosed with an allergy to GMO corn—not corn itself but, if I understand it correctly, the pesticides that have been bred into some (or perhaps, at this point, most) corn. She wrote an article; there was a ton of pushback; she did more research and wrote a book.
There's a reasonable attempt to explore both sides of the issue (GMOs cause no problems vs. GMOs do cause problems) and to provide some balance, though that falls largely by the wayside in the second half of the book, as Shetterly's not really coming at it from a neutral perspective. I take no issue with that (a given book doesn't have to give equal space to every side of a debate!), although I wondered whether it would have resonated more with me had it been set up differently—less a question of whether or not GMOs can be problematic and more a question of...I don't know. What problems they cause and where to go from there? That's not quite right. To a reader (me!) who wants to see how it is affecting people on a personal level, there wasn't really enough of the personal (what about other people who had developed allergies? How common is that as a problem?), though I suspect that for those who just want to understand the science there will be a bit too much personal. A tricky balance.
Also: am now slightly afraid of the honey in my cupboard. Trying not to blame the messenger here. Should have done as most of the class did and skimmed!
bamahnken's review against another edition
4.0
I was given the chance to read the ARC of Modified by Caitlin Shetterly by Penguin's First to Read program in exchange for my honest review.
Modified by Caitlin Shetterly was extremely informative. That being said, I found it really tough to get through the book in a timely manner, which is ok, I just probably should not have chosen it for a book that needed to be read in a short amount of time. I think for a book like Modified which holds so much information, you really need to take it slow so you can absorb the facts and not suffer from information overload.
Many reviewers said they enjoyed her anecdotes and I can understand why, they lend a memoir-like tone to this very facts-oriented non fiction book. Caitlin's stance is very relatable, she wants to be as informed as possible so that she can make the best decisions for not only her own health which was negatively effected by GMO corn, but for the health of her children.
Overall, I look at this as a scientific non-fiction about GMOs and their possible effects on not only people, but animals and nature as we know it. If you are not invested in the topic, this is not for you. I was mildly interested and I found myself very bored at times, though some topics did peak my interest and made me want to learn more (the bees and honey!). Both sides of the GMO debate are explored and neither side is ridiculed, which I appreciate in a book that is written to inform. 4stars
Modified by Caitlin Shetterly was extremely informative. That being said, I found it really tough to get through the book in a timely manner, which is ok, I just probably should not have chosen it for a book that needed to be read in a short amount of time. I think for a book like Modified which holds so much information, you really need to take it slow so you can absorb the facts and not suffer from information overload.
Many reviewers said they enjoyed her anecdotes and I can understand why, they lend a memoir-like tone to this very facts-oriented non fiction book. Caitlin's stance is very relatable, she wants to be as informed as possible so that she can make the best decisions for not only her own health which was negatively effected by GMO corn, but for the health of her children.
Overall, I look at this as a scientific non-fiction about GMOs and their possible effects on not only people, but animals and nature as we know it. If you are not invested in the topic, this is not for you. I was mildly interested and I found myself very bored at times, though some topics did peak my interest and made me want to learn more (the bees and honey!). Both sides of the GMO debate are explored and neither side is ridiculed, which I appreciate in a book that is written to inform. 4stars
socraticgadfly's review against another edition
1.0
This book is chock-full of commissions of the naturalistic fallacy, as well as anecdotal observations being substituted for scientific research and travelogue being substituted for logically presented story line, those last two noted by others.
The naturalistic fallacy begins, of course, with the idea that non-GMO is better than GMO, and that organic is better than non-organic. Since there's no index to this book, I have no idea if Ms. Shetterly knows that she's probably eating mutagenic foods; that is, her Rio Star or Ruby Star grapefruit, barley in bread or beer and other things have been created by RADIATION!!!
This narrative reaches almost comic levels with her description of Nebraska farmer Zack Hunnicutt and his apple-pie, all-American looks. One almost expects to find out she thinks Monsanto has maade him into a Manchurian farmer. (Beyond that, a lot of this part of the story has comments about him that come off as patronizing.)
Otherwise, while I feel for whatever caused her health symptoms, looking for GMO-related corn proteins in something like corn starch, let alone corn syrup, seems gnat-straining.
The naturalistic fallacy begins, of course, with the idea that non-GMO is better than GMO, and that organic is better than non-organic. Since there's no index to this book, I have no idea if Ms. Shetterly knows that she's probably eating mutagenic foods; that is, her Rio Star or Ruby Star grapefruit, barley in bread or beer and other things have been created by RADIATION!!!
This narrative reaches almost comic levels with her description of Nebraska farmer Zack Hunnicutt and his apple-pie, all-American looks. One almost expects to find out she thinks Monsanto has maade him into a Manchurian farmer. (Beyond that, a lot of this part of the story has comments about him that come off as patronizing.)
Otherwise, while I feel for whatever caused her health symptoms, looking for GMO-related corn proteins in something like corn starch, let alone corn syrup, seems gnat-straining.
shoshpursley's review against another edition
4.0
I almost never read non fiction, but, because this is an issue I feel VERY strongly about, I requested a copy of Modified and am glad I did. I enjoyed her anecdotal stories but I also really appreciated her thorough citations and the research and interviews she did. This was a very informative book and it's one that I'll be buying for myself and family!
kedawen's review against another edition
4.0
Very well-researched and an informational read! The writing flows so well (except a bit in the middle when I felt like it got bogged down talking about bees and honey) and personal stories about each of the people she talked to made them relatable and interesting.
The topic of this book hits close to home, since like the author I have long been dealing with unexplained health issues. Anti-inflammatory diet changes have gone a long way, and seeing the details about GMO corn laid out like this will help me continue to improve what I eat.
The topic of this book hits close to home, since like the author I have long been dealing with unexplained health issues. Anti-inflammatory diet changes have gone a long way, and seeing the details about GMO corn laid out like this will help me continue to improve what I eat.
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