Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies

Migrant Farmworkers in the United States

By: Seth Holmes

Narrated by: Paul Costanzo

Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies provides an intimate examination of the everyday lives and suffering of Mexican migrants in our contemporary food system. An anthropologist and MD in the mold of Paul Farmer and Didier Fassin, Seth M. Holmes shows how market forces, anti-immigrant sentiment, and racism undermine health and health care. Holmes' material is visceral and powerful. He trekked with his companions illegally through the desert into Arizona and was jailed with them before they were deported. He lived with indigenous families in the mountains of Oaxaca and in farm labor camps in the US, planted and harvested corn, picked strawberries, and accompanied sick workers to clinics and hospitals. This "embodied anthropology" deepens our theoretical understanding of the ways in which social inequalities and suffering come to be perceived as normal and natural in society and in health care.

©2013 The Regents of the University of California (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Dr. Holmes exposes the links among suffering, the inequalities related to the structural violence of global trade which compel migration, and the symbolic violence of stereotypes and prejudices that normalize racism." ( New York Journal of Books)

a must read

I loved this book. Holmes framing the narrative as a anthropologist and physician made for a powerful and moving book.

Pronunciation is poor

The book is great, but the narrator poorly pronounces the Spanish words that are common throughout the book.

Had to read this for a Chicano studies class

I had to read this book for a class, and I’m glad I did since this book was just real powerful in its message and has definitely impacted me and moved me on these manny important issues that Mexicans in America face. Overall I loved the book and the author’s authenticity and commitment to these people’s stories

What a thought provoking book! It's a must read!

The narratives throughout this book draws the reader into the lives of Triqui people and the hierarchy that exists in the United States. It is a definite eye opener and to anyone who does not believe in the suffering and injustices faced by undocumented individuals and minorities in this country, then they should read this book and reevaluate their primary assumptions.

Good perspective

Holmes study of the Triqui migrant farm workers is an attempt at understanding an insiders perspective at what it takes to make the long trek across the dangerous border to the US.

Along the journey, he describes physical violence and exploitation that happens to these people, and he alludes to the structures that keep them from getting ahead as indigenous peoples of Mexico, or their inability to get legal US citizenship.

Good book!

An important read-please read it!

I would recommend everyone in the US read this book. There is much to be gained from understanding why people choose to migrate, the risks they take and the conditions they endure. It’s a heavy topic written by Seth Holmes who is a Dr. in both medicine and anthropology. Despite being heavy and academic, it’s an accessible read.

Some excellent material

Some excellent material. This book really opened my eyes. But it should have been written as two books, 1. one book for an audience of theoreticians and professionals and 2. the other book for a lay audience like me. Nonetheless I am very glad I read it.

The voice is worse than text to speech software

This book goes over the hardships and the immense complicated journey of undocumented workers to the united states with interviews and first hand accounts. The voice was extremely monotone and grating regardless of what was going on in the book. I've heard siri speak with more tonal and emotional shift in her voice.

Still the best book on the issue

I use it in my class to teach. It remains the best book on the issue. No other book or article takes one across the border, crosses the border, gets to the farm, and shows the nature of agricultural work and its impact in migrant bodies. (The reader once in a while screws up the names of theorists such as Gramsci and Bourdieu… but tolerable).

WhisperSync

What made the experience of listening to Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies the most enjoyable?

An excellent book, but needs to be whispersync'd. I hope that when Audible gets around to whispersync'd the book, they will allow a free upgrade.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies?

The book is a real eye-opener, and should be required reading in every high school.

Any additional comments?

Get it whispersync'd.