Book Review: The Orchard; A Memoir by Theresa Weir

The Orchard; a Memoir by Theresa Weir is an autobiographical "novel" about a family and the apple growing business.  It chronicles the health issues plaguing the family as they seek to use ever harsher pesticides to fight coddling moth.  At stake is their livelihood, the land and their very lives.

In this, most recent generation, a slow realization is starting to take place about the errors of this approach to farming.

The book is entertaining and engaging, and I would give it an elevation slightly above "good beach read" because the subject matter is timely and thought-provoking.  Having just planted two little apple trees, it brought home both the devastation that the coddling moth can bring, and also the importance of battling it organically.  So I'm on the hunt for the proper way to take care of these new babies without any pesticide.