Fresh Fruit Broken Bodies Chapter Summaries

Seth M. Holmes is the anthropologist behind the work Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. This book is about an almost hidden world of migrant farm laborers in the USA. This group of hidden people is responsible for providing the United States with fresh fruit and for very little money and poor living conditions. Holmes has written this ethnography to shed light on the downside of agribusiness while showcasing the physical and social problems Mexican workers face in Washington and California while working in the fields providing the United States with fruit.
Chapter 1 of Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies details the author’s trip from Oaxaca, Mexico to the border of the United States. He was accompanied by a group of Triqui’s that were trying to cross the

During his stay with the workers he was able to witness the injuries and the consequences of these injuries in the worker’s lives, including physical and mental suffering. While in San Miguel observing the medical work being done there Holmes heard many different contexts implying that doctors don’t know anything. Along with Holmes I found this surprising because doctors are generally there to help and medical care is normally appreciated (pg. 112). Holmes had many questions and concerns with why the laborers felt this way, and addresses his understanding of the answers through the continuation of the health of his companions from chapter 4. Through these health care system experiences Holmes has taken interest in changing the opinions of the doctors on migrant farm laborers and the opinion of the laborers on the doctors. In the concluding chapter, Holmes summarizes the purpose of his study and addresses the fact that he has become discouraged that there may be no hope for changes in the future (pg. 182). Holmes hopes that through activism and awareness the social inequalities and suffering of these people can someday

He writes an eye-opening account about the day-to-day lives of these hidden people that contribute so much to our society as a whole including large contributions to the economy. I believe because Holmes decided to experience first-hand their struggles this is a fair representation of these people’s lives, especially when he compares his personal experiences to interviewed laborers experiences. Holmes writes with passion when addressing each of these issues, which makes the book a compelling read. His way of writing makes you think twice about the fruit you buy and the overlooked people that help bring it to your table and the struggle they go through to put it there. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially those interested in studying anthropology, and especially those studying medical anthropology, including professors. I strongly believe that health services and people working in any medicine field would greatly benefit from reading Holmes’ work. Everyone else may benefit by knowing where the fruit they eat comes from and how much work and injustice is included in the fruit picking