Food for Thought

 

 

              

Food for Thought

 The name of the book is Food for Thought. It is a fiction book. The book was written by Pauline Francis and published by Penguin Readers in 2008. The name of the book makes me consider about food. But Food for Thought does not revolve around food, it is an idiom. It means something to ponder on or issues to be considered. Food for thought in this book is “whether GM crop trials are safe or not?”. GM crop is a plant that has a gene and has been modified by government and its scientists. The plant that scientists use for trial in this story is maize.

 

There are five main characters in this story. Their names are Joe, Anna, Kate, Dave and Jenny. Dave and Jenny are organic farm owners. Their farm is in Cornwall and near the GM crop farm. The form of English that the writer used to describe Dave and Jenny’s farm is brilliant. It was easy to imagine, and I made these images in my mind obviously. Joe is Dave and Jenny ‘s nephew. Joe was working on their farm during his holiday. Joe is  a positive person. The next person’s name is Anna. She is a visitor of Dave and Jenny's farm. She is from Stockholm and a student like Joe, however Anna is a beautiful girl but stubborn at the same time. She trashed the GM crops. She is such a GM crop protester. She strongly believes that the GM scientists are criminals and GM crops will change natural plants. The last main character, is Kate. Kate is a girl who’s her father owns the GM maize farm. Her parents decided to grow GM crops because they trust the government. They totally believe that GM crops are a good idea. Joe and Kate seem hostile but they are not, they are friends. Joe gets on well with Kate because both of them like to surf. Even if Joe is Dave and Jenny’s nephew, his opinions about GM crops are not strong, and he is not taking sides. He is neutral, and believes that GM crops will help poor countries. Farmers will get better quality crops, and cheaper crops because they will not need a lot of pesticides.

 

Anna plans to trash the GM maize crop on Kate’s farm with other protesters. This plan is a secret, however it’s a coincidence that Joe knows her secret and Joe promises with Anna that he will keep it a secret. Joe tries to stop her because it is a criminal intension and dangerous but she does not listen. She does not change her mind. There is nothing Joe can do, but to keep the promise, it is only way he can go. Eventually, Anna and other protesters trash the GM maize crop plantation. GM crop is gone. Kate gets angry with Joe because he did not let her know about Anna’s plan. And Kate says, everybody has the right to protest but nobody has the right to destroy other people’s crops. They do not have the right to break the law. Joe tries to say sorry to Kate. Finally, Kate forgives Joe and they become good friends again.

 

I like this book because it is an interesting story. It makes me want to know more information about GM crops. I asked myself“. Have I ever eaten GM crops?” “Have I ever wondered where food comes from?”. This book helps me realize more about food that I eat everyday. In my opinion, GM crops are not bad but we have to know how to use GM crops safely. The plot of this story is interesting, exciting and enjoyable. Food for thought is an excellent book that I could not put down when I started reading it. It was a compelling read.