Book Review: Ruin their crops on the ground

Andrea Freeman, Ruin their crops on the ground: the politics of food in the United States from the Trail of Tears to school lunch. New York: Metropolitan Books (part of Henry Holt and Company) ISBN: 9781250871046.

Genre: food policy, history

Subgenre: United States, bad economy, exploitation, corruption

Format: hardcover (though I had an ARC earlier)

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College; the ARC came from Edelweiss Plus 

This is a history of how the United States from the early days of the republic to the modern era, has used food and food access as a tool of oppression and exploitation. More often than not the United States exploits hunger and poverty, weaponizing food in order to subjugate, exploit, and keep in line minorities and the vulnerable. This is another bit of American history you were most likely not taught in school. 

The book is arranged into seven chapters. Topics go from starving the slaves, starving Native Americans, using access to food to force immigrants to assimilate, and the failures of school food programs. A major irony is that the food the American government provides, if it provides it, is usually low quality, low nutrition food. You see, the truly sinister part is the United States often destroys good crops and nutritious food sources outside groups had, then forces those groups to depend on low quality low nutrition junk food, food that is often the product of cozy agricultural subsidies. The United States Government only cares about the Real Owners, and those are groups like Big Agriculture sucking up farm subsidies for excess corn, for example, used in the dreaded high fructose corn syrup. Thus the American policy of burning ruining their crops on the ground. 

For some readers, this book may yield a revelation or two. For other readers, this is the kind of book they would rather not read. It is not always an easy read. It does not help that it can be a bit of dry reading. This is an important topic, but it is not an easy read. At times it can feel like an academic lecture and not in a good way. If you've read books like Barons (link to my review), then you know a good part of this story. 

Recommended for academic libraries. Book may be of interest in food science, American history, political science, some ethnic studies, and some general studies courses. 

Overall, I appreciate its importance, but again not the most interesting read at times. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

 

Additional reading notes: 

If you wonder why fast food is so cheap and abundant: 

"Beyond marketing, fast food corporations rely on cheap, subsidized commodities to make their food the most affordable option in poor communities. This advantage allows them to dominate the food landscape of poor, Black, Indigenous, and Latine neighborhoods, in retail outlets and even public schools, which have long been sites of forced cultural assimilation through food. This practice, which was central to federal Indian boarding schools and Americanization programs targeting Mexican girls, today takes the form of corporate infiltration of schools to prey on impressionable minds for profit" (5). 

The book also shows that for the most part law and government policy fail to protect the people, especially the poor and vulnerable, and it does so to enrich corporations. And as long as people don't recognize this and then muster up the will to change said laws and policies, the food oppression will continue. 

This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: