Susan Dworkin’s Riveting Story of a Scientist’s Struggle to Preserve the World’s Harvest
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. At my house, twenty-two people gathered and brought their favorite foods to our table. But, who made sure that there would be food for the table?
His name is not household word, but it should be. Dr. Bent Skovmand, a brilliant Danish scientist (the ‘Viking’), had a lot to do with putting food on all our tables because he dedicated himself to protecting the seeds of the world’s food supply. Dr. Skovmand’s story is told in a riveting new book by my friend Susan Dworkin.
“The Viking in the Wheat Field – A Scientist’s Struggle to Preserve the World Harvest” is about the work of Bent Kovmand and a band of scientists whose mission to protect the food supply from “pests, plagues and corporate raiders” is not widely known.
A playwright, author of several books and numerous magazine articles, Susan Dworkin, who at one time worked in Department of Agriculture, has written what one reviewer called “a tale of agricultural discovery and rescue.” She’s transformed Skovmand’s life work into an accessible, gripping and eye-opening drama.
As stresses on the world’s ‘plant genetic resources’ continue to increase due to climate change and other factors, Skovmand’s work has gained even greater value. And, his warning in the book becomes more urgent: “If the seeds disappear, so could your food. So could you.”
To book Susan Dworkin for an interview, lecture/event e-mail:
michelle.blankenship@bloomsburyusa.com