The I Index

The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World

Maybe someday

27

/100

I Index Overall Rating

Readers

15/100

Critics

40/100

Scholars

N/A

Author:

Edward D. Melillo

Publisher:

Knopf

Date:

August 25, 2020

A dive into the long-standing relationship between humans and insects, revealing the surprising ways we depend on these tiny, six-legged creatures.

What The Reviewers Say

Christoph Irmscher,
The Wall Street Journal
Surprisingly—and rather brilliantly—more than half of Mr. Melillo’s book is not about monarchs or mosquitoes but about creatures far less relatable, though they have been part of our lives for centuries.
Nancy Bent,
Booklist
Melillo pens a fascinating look at the role insects have played in human history, with a focus not on the depredations of pest insect species but on the stories of shellac, silk, and cochineal, insect-derived products which generated world commerce.
Robert Eagan,
Library Journal
Melillo introduces many little-known facts and moments of insight, making this an engaging and often surprising read for those interested in environmental history..

Kirkus
... [a] succinct, colorful contribution to entomological literature.