Modified

Starred review from August 1, 2016
In this alarming journalistic work, Shetterly (Made for You and Me) investigates genetically modified organisms, their associated pesticides, and the biotech megacorporations that produce and sell them. Shetterly begins by detailing her own debilitating but undiagnosed illness, which only abated after an allergist suggested that she had “developed a reaction to genetically modified corn” and she followed his advice to eliminate corn from her diet. This work, a follow-up to Shetterly’s piece for Elle magazine describing that experience, is structured around visits to a few people on both sides of the issue of the use of genetically modified crops as well as her additional research to understand more about GMOs and what is at stake. That turns out to be billions of dollars, and, more broadly, public health. For example, many genetically modified crops are created to be “Roundup Ready” so that they will survive the application of the Roundup pesticide, which by no coincidence is also sold by Monsanto, the producer of the seeds. This troubling conflict of interest is exacerbated by a complete lack of transparency; the biotech giants conducting the studies that claim their products are safe don’t make that research publicly available. Shetterly’s accessible, well-researched, and damning work brings clarity to an often fuzzy debate. Agent: Lisa Grubka, Fletcher & Co.

July 1, 2016
A journalist on a mission to expose the dangers of genetically modified organisms tells nearly as much about her personal life as about the issue bothering her.Shetterly (Made for You And Me: Going West, Going Broke, Finding Home, 2011, etc.), who first wrote about her belief that "a long and tedious illness that had plagued me for nearly four years," as well as that of her young son, was caused by GMOs in an article in Elle, has expanded that controversial piece to book length. Here, the author chronicles her visits with, among others, farmers in Colorado and Nebraska, anti-GMO activists in Iowa, beekeepers in Europe, and a research lab in California to gather facts and record her impressions. While GMOs are her primary focus, Shetterly has a larger target: big agriculture--i.e., the industrialization of farming, the expansion of monocultures, and the widespread use of insecticides and herbicides. Driving alone through the cornfields of the Midwest, the author mourns the disappearance of family farms and experiences anxiety about the possibility of harassment by big ag, but no such problems occurred. Her account is low on proof of her thesis that the proteins created in GMOs triggered a chronic allergic response that made both her and her son sick for a long time (the diagnosis of one allergist in Maine) and is high in overly long profiles of people she interviewed, anecdotes about her family, and details of her private life, on and off the road. The long-term research is still yet to be done, and, as the author admits, "do I know enough to quiet down that natural, pain-in-the-ass skeptic inside of my head? Not really. Not yet." The message that our planet is saturated with chemical toxins comes through clearly, but the health case against GMOs is not persuasive.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 1, 2016

Investigative journalist Shetterly continues her examination of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which began with an article in Elle magazine detailing her mysterious illness that had puzzled doctors for years. After multiple diagnoses and treatments that didn't help, the author's symptoms improved when she stopped eating certain foods containing corn. Her doctor suggested she was allergic to a protein in genetically modified corn. Surrounded by products (including table salt, the wax on apples) that are heavily reliant on GMO corn, Shetterly toured corn farms to understand the debate over GMOs. Along the way, she interviewed scientists, farmers, activists, and beekeepers, asking questions about labeling, allergens, pesticides, and organic crops. Shetterly also explored how Europe and Mexico are responding to the controversy over GMO crops. In this intensely personal narrative, Shetterly discusses not only the science and politics of GMOs but also ideas she still questions, her opinions of others, and even what she eats. Her passionate advocacy, combined with descriptions of multiple research studies and interviews with scientists, doctors, and farmers, makes a compelling case that consumers worldwide need more education on this important issue. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in personal health and diet as well as environmental and agricultural politics.--Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.