Reviews

Oceans of Grain: How American Wheat Remade the World by Scott Reynolds Nelson

jobyrne's review against another edition

4.0

A fascinating subject matter. The storytelling was a bit too overly-detailed at times and yet there were still holes. The subtitle is a bit misleading. In a vast majority of this book American wheat is not a major player. This book is more about the influence and importance of the grain trade in Europe and Asia leading up to and immediately following WW1. That is a REALLY broad subject, so at times the book doesn't feel as focused as it should be. There is a disconnect between the people involved and the grain, and that is where it struggles and why I didn't give it 5 stars.

I still enjoyed the book and learned a lot.

alexdelnorte's review against another edition

0.25

i purchased this book bc i thought it was going to be about grain and american wheat. with a title that reads “oceans of grain” and a subtitle of “how american wheat remade the world”, why would a reader expect anything else?

this book is hot garbage and without a doubt the worst book i’ve read in many years. the title and subtitle amount to blatantly false advertising and the publisher/author should be required to reimburse all readers the full book price.

ladyb_loves_books's review against another edition

3.0

This is a very informative book that has given me perspective of grain impact in so many aspects of history. It is written in a forward facing manner rather than as an academic perspective so it is easier to read. It is still a bit of work for someone not accustomed to reading at this level. However, it is full of things I did not realize were connected. It is worth a read if you go in understanding it will take some time and effort for a non academic like me.

kelamity_reads's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

This was an interesting book that looks at the importance of wheat and its role in historical events, especially in relation to world conflict.

While the author makes many good points and connections, I did feel like they were sometimes intentionally blind to other elements that were relevant, if not more relevant.

I also feel that the subtitle 'How American Wheat Remade the World' is a strange choice given how little influence American wheat has had in relation to the grand scale of history. 

I thought this book would be heavily focused on American wheat and the American wheat industry but it has a greater focus on Russian and European wheat.

The narration was good but the book doesn't lend itself well to being an audiobook due to the amount of statistics and numbers involved in several sections.

allie_rose's review against another edition

3.75

Interesting, but not what I thought it was about (post WWII American agricultural empire). Equally about Russian grain.

lgriffin44's review against another edition

3.0

This is a fun book. It’s fascinating to view grain as the force hidden in the shadows that moves and forms empires. But it’s just a commodity study that tries to give a simple answer to complex issues. I’m not convinced that cotton isn’t more important to the rise of the American empire, but I am convinced by Nelson’s argument surrounding dynamite and the often-overlooked power that food has. With the Ukraine/Russia focus, the argument is seductive. But there are some glaring issues. How can we talk about the cheapness of grain without prices and economic data? How can we talk about how American grain remade the world by only focusing on Europe and the United States? Where is the Global South in this story? And farmers? It’s a fun concept that highlights the importance of trade, particularly food trade, but in the end is not entirely convincing.

bookanonjeff's review

5.0

Remarkable History Of Wheat As Agent Of Change. This is one that I could make a case for either 4 or 5 stars for, and because of the doubt I ultimately sided with 5. The reason here is that while there is indeed considerable time spent on how American wheat of the Civil War/ Reconstruction era (and later) destabilized Europe and eventually led to the late 19th/ 20th/ 21st century histories we know and are actively living, there is also quite a bit establishing the history of wheat being a similar disruptor throughout all of recorded human history. Thus, while the description of the book paints it mostly as a tale of the past 150 ish years, it is actually a tale of the entirety of human existence and instead of the lasting points being about the more recent history, the lasting points (at least for this reader) are more about the overall history. Which was the crux of my internal debate. In other words, no matter the focus or points retained, this is a truly remarkable history of a particular commodity that gives a more complete understanding of major world events, particularly over the last 150 ish years. Very much recommended.

mattrohn's review

informative medium-paced

4.0

Interesting and compellingly written book but readers should be aware going in that this book, especially the early and late chapters, are much more about grain and the Russian empire than grain and the USA. Definitely recommend for anyone who likes commodity history or foreign policy history from a non-military lens

randombookswithmj's review

3.5

 

A very interesting interpretation of the value of grain to historical power. It truly was worth listening to and presents a solid case for it’s claim. However, it was very dry and had a lot of numbers read out at time. This book might be better read than listened to. The narrator Jason Arnold was a good choice. 

bluegrassnomad's review

Needed to be edited.  Nelson has a strong case about the importance of wheat but doesn't do a good job communicating it.  Feels like a rehash of "Guns, Germs, and Steel."  Likes to re-use the same phrases over and over again but not in a way that feels poignant or relevant - "oceans of grain" "the black paths" "the chumaki"