LIVES OF WEEDS Opportunism, Resistance, Folly

This audiobook is a cautionary tale about unintended consequences in American agriculture. The lesson is that the more we try to control weeds chemically and genetically, the more they fight back. Mike Lenz offers a clear, easy-on-the-ears narration that carries the book along nicely. His pace is good, and his tone exactly fits the first-person text. Conversations between the author and farmers and fellow scientists sound appropriately conversational. But while the work is written for interested lay people, not scientists, some listeners may struggle with scientific terms and descriptions of research methods. Overall, though, the message that science and corporate farming work against nature comes through. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2021]