TOMATOLAND How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit

Barry Estabrook’s exposé of the winter-tomato industry peels back the skin on a tasteless fruit, bathed in chemicals, gassed with ethylene to look ripe, and picked by modern-day slaves. Pete Larkin’s narration is straightforward and engaging. It’s clear that the treatment of migrant workers in Florida is inexcusable in a first-world democratic country, but Larkin lets the inhumanity speak for itself and wisely doesn’t amp up the outrage. Estabrook interviews many scientists, lawyers, growers, and tomato pickers involved in the Florida winter-tomato industry, and Larkin clearly distinguishes between quotations and narrative without resorting to inauthentic accents. It’s an unblemished performance. Don’t buy winter tomatoes; grow them in your yard, shop at farmers’ markets, and buy canned tomatoes (from California) instead. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]