Praise for the Viking in the Wheat Field by Susan Dworkin
WARREN A. DICK, Professor, Ohio State University, CSSA-SSSA-ASA Journals
"This book would make a great gift for young people interested in science. The author captures the drama, excitement, hard work and reward for those who undertake scientific discovery."
LIBRARY JOURNAL
“The importance and the urgency of [Skovmand’s] work with protecting the food chain amidst many human and biological challenges makes for a very gripping read. A logical next read after Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”
THE FUTURIST
“In light of the much-publicized rises in food costs and shortages of water for farming, the story that Dworkin tells in The Viking in the Wheat Field is very compelling and very timely.”
BOOKLIST
“Dworkin vividly portrays Skovmand and a remarkable group of similarly ardent plant protectors; crisply relates little-known yet compelling, frequently dicey tales of agricultural discovery and rescue; and explains with passion and acuity why it’s so very important to preserve the planet’s plant genetics.”
NACTA JOURNAL
“Required reading for students in plant breeding as well as other agricultural sciences. The book is a must read for those who consider working in the international research and development arena.”
JOHN SNAPE, Professor, Head of Crop Genetics at John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
“An excellent, highly readable book that weaves the story of Bent Skovmand and his numerous contributions to world food security with an accessible history of international agricultural research over the last 60 years. Filled with informative anecdotes about towering figures in the battle against starvation like Norman Borlaug, Henry Wallace, and Nikolai Vavilov. Fascinating!”
ROWAN JACOBSON,
Author of Fruitless Fall: the Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis
"An eye-opening look into the little-known world of gene banks and crop breeding, and a poignant reminder that the real guardians of our food security are not armies or transnational corporations but a handful of tireless scientists who have labored for decades to keep us one step ahead of famine."
PETER PRINGLE, Author of Food, Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto—The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest and The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov
"Susan Dworkin has found a delightful way to tell the alarming story of the frailty of the global wheat crop. She leads us expertly and enthusiastically into Bent Skovmand's strange, infrequently penetrated domain of plant breeding and internatonal seed banks, a world in whch unsung scientists search and save exotic plant germplasm to protect the staffs of live against pests, plagues and corporate raiders. As the Viking himself warns in Dworkin's book: 'If the seeds disappear, so could your food. So could you.'"