Bugs In The System: Insects and Their Impact on Human Affairs, by May R. Berenbaum - Large Print Reviews

Large Print Reviews

Bugs In The System
By May R. Berenbaum

Bugs In The System
Insects And Their Impact On Human Affairs
By May R. Berenbaum
Read How You Want, (2011)
EasyRead Large Print, in 16 Point Font
(Originally Published in Standard Print by Basic Books)
ISBN: 978-1459608108
Genre: Science

Reviewed by Harry S. Chou - December 1, 2011

Bugs in the System: Insects and Their Impact on Human Affairs, by May R. Berenbaum is a collection of eleven fascinating and eye-opening chapters on the life of insects and how they impact and interact with humans. This book is basically a non-technical course on insects that could easily have been called 'Entomology 101 for the Laymen'. At times it is funny, at other times serious, and more than I care to admit, it made my skin crawl. Without exception, this book held my interest from beginning to end and it is perfect for readers of all ages. In fact, if you happen to have a pre-teen or teenager in your house that is interested in bugs, get this book for them. It may well help them decide to study entomology when they go to college.

This book was written by May R. Berenbaum, who is a Professor of Entomology at the University of Illinois. If she teaches like she writes, she must be a fantastic teacher, for this book goes into a great deal of detail without ever being arduous or overly technical. She also writes with the skill of a novelist, making her book not only informative, but a real pleasure to read.

Each chapter consists of short, interconnected essays that cover just about everything from how insects are classified to how they reproduce. Along the way she explores their physiology, behavior, social lives, what they eat, how they interact with people, where they live, and how insects view people. Along the way she introduces us to just about every insect imaginable from well-known bugs such as honey bees, bed bugs, and Spanishfly (which is actually a beetle, not a fly), to lesser known parasitic insects such as biting lice, earwigs, and the bloodsucking noctuid moths of Malaysia and Thailand. She also examines such enterprises as harvesting spider silk, the use and development of forensic entomology, and how insects can cause injury to humans in unexpect ways. For instance did you know that cockroaches have, on rare occasions taken up residency in various human orifices? When said orifice is the ear, the infestation can result in permanent hearing loss! In other news, did you know that venomous insect bites account for more than half the deaths in the United States caused by venomous bites. Venomous snakes on the other hand, only account for about 30% of venomous bite deaths.

While such statistics makes for interesting reading, this is by no means a book of trivia. Bugs in the System takes a serious look at how bugs are designed and function, as well as how humans and bugs have co-existed throughout history, and the various methods that humans have tried to minimize their contact with insects from the basic lice comb to modern-day insecticides. In this comprehensive overview of insects, Berenbaum even provides a brief foray into the intriguing world of Insects and the Law and the role that insects have played in the movies.

Without a doubt, Bugs in the System is one of the most interesting books that I've read in quite awhile. It is a book that you can read straight through, or flip through and just read whatever section happens to strike your fancy. If you want to explore the world of insects in greater detail after reading this book, you will find that each chapter ends with a list of references that will guide you more detailed books on the subject(s) covered. Berenbaum is also the author of 99 Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers and 99 More Maggots, Mites, and Munchers. Neither book is currently available in large print :-(

Bugs In The System is available from Read How You Want, an on-demand publisher that makes books available in a variety of formats including Braille, DAISY, and five different large print formats. This range of formats makes this, and other books, available not only to visually impaired individuals, but also anyone with a reading or physical disability that makes reading standard print books difficult.

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