Hard Work is the Backbone

Today I am going to write about my review on the book, Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies, by Seth M. Holmes and his accounts from working in the fields. Holmes was interested in how working in the fields took a toll on your body. As shown here, "Nationwide, migrant farmworkers are sicker than other groups" (Holmes 99). A lot of workers fell sick and injured to the constant work. So, he took the action upon himself and chose to go actually work in the fields, where he got weird glares as a white man working in the field. This is as reliable of a source as it can get because he basically lived their lives in the field to a smaller degree but also go first-hand info from all of them. I really liked this book and how intriguing it was. I felt like I was there with Holmes the entire time with his descriptions of the scenario he was in.

Tents at Migrant Camps

The book has a great amount of detail on the daily lives of these migrant workers. Holmes is basically trying to show the different societal issues with the workers working constant hours on end with no real rest time. He is trying to bring to light the struggle they go through on a day-to-day basis with no real healthcare. The book is known as an ethnographic book as it goes into depth about the migrant workers and their jobs in the field. As Holmes was in the field for quite some time, he has real first hand experience with the workers and it makes any observations he made very legit. As shown here, "During the five months I lived in worked in the Central Valley of California, my companions and I were constantly paid less than minimum wage" (Holmes 82). His imagery is extremely impactful as you feel as if you are there beside him as he learns all if these different stories. When Holmes has the doctor analyze the workers and basically diagnoses them with all of these problems, he knows that they would've never been treated with the situation they were in in the first place. He gets a hands on experience of all the things these people go through, which makes his word even stronger.

I think Holmes's time spent with the workers was a really impactful thing because of all of the things on the back end of his studies. Many organizations were shed light on the situation and it led to lots of donations and awareness for the workers. As explained here, "There is strong support of local producers and are especially important in the area of agriculture and food" (Holmes 198). It has given me a new idea of what goes on before my fresh produce reaches grocery stores. I have a new appreciation for the hard work that goes on in the fields and that it isn't as simple as a tractor going and picking up produce. With that being said, Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies is a great read and is very intriguing.

Seth Holmes, sitting with children from farm.
Watch his video on youtube here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTS9FdddXDY&t=626s

Works Cited

Holmes, Seth M. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. Univ. of California Press, 2014.