Includes bibliographical references (p. [261]-264) and index.

The world's most humble fruit -- Family trees. And God created the banana -- A banana in your pocket? -- The first farm -- All in the family -- Expansion. Asia -- Pacific -- Africa -- Americas -- Corn flakes and coup d'etas. Bringing bananas home -- Taming the wild -- Why banana peels are funny -- Sam the Banana Man -- No bananas today -- Man makes a banana -- The banana massacre -- The inhuman republics -- Straightening out the business -- Never enough. Knowledge is powerless -- Pure science -- A second front -- No respite -- Brand name bananas -- Guatemala -- Good-bye, Michel. Cavendish -- Falling apart -- Embracing the new -- Chronic injury -- Banana plus banana -- A savior? -- Golden child -- A new banana. A long way from Panama -- Know your enemies -- A banana crossroads -- Frankenbanana -- Still the octopus? -- The way out.

From its early beginnings in Southeast Asia, to the machinations of the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica and Central America, the banana's history and its fate as a victim of fungus are explored.