The Wonders of Insects

By Owen L.

Eighty percent of the world's population eats insects. However, insects are viewed as annoying pests in the US. Daniella Martin tries to change the common perspective of insects by travelling around the world and recording her adventures. From a food cart in San Francisco to frozen insects in Thailand, Daniella Martin shares her private experiences of edible insects with the rest of the world.

In Edible, Daniella Martin reveals her most memorable experiences through short stories including her encounters with eating edible. As Daniella Martin traveled to Mexico, she remembered learning about the early traditions among the natives that survived the Spanish conquistadors. Insect eating was a the first tradition that came to mind and Daniella Martin was excited to try roasted grasshoppers. However, native children ate the majority of roasted grasshoppers off Daniella Martin's plate as grasshoppers were considered a delicacy. There were more memorable adventures continuing as the story went on along with factual information about the benefits of digesting insects.

Daniella Martin expresses her experiences as a personal narrative along with adding the positive benefits of eating insects as the story progresses. Edible is Daniella Martin's only book but she is a bug-eating insect expert and has even been featured in different news sites including The New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal. Although many of the experiences were out of place, they all added to a fascinating backstory that makes the experiences more realistic.

Edible appeals to a large audience and I would recommend this book to anyone. Originally, I was disinterested Edible as I found hearing and reading about bugs disgusting.  After reading Edible, I was more aware of the environmental benefits along with the nutrition that insects provided.  Also, learning more about insects might help anyone who has a fear of bugs conquer their fear.