The Taste of Many Mountains

by Bruce Wydick

Overview

The global coffee trade is a collision between the rich world and the poor world.

A group of graduate students is about to experience that collision head-on.

Angela, Alex, Rich, and Sofi a bring to their summer research project in Guatemala more than their share of grad-school baggage—along with clashing ideas about poverty and globalization. But as they follow the trail of coffee beans from the Guatemalan peasant grower to the American coffee drinker, what unfolds is not only a stunning research discovery, but an unforgettable journey of personal challenge and growth.

Based on an actual research project on fair trade coffee funded by USAID, The Taste of Many Mountains is a brilliantly-staged novel about the global economy in which University of San Francisco economist Bruce Wydick examines the realities of the coffee trade from the perspective of young researchers struggling to understand the chasm between the world’s rich and poor.

“Wydick’s first novel is brewed perfectly—full of rich body with double-shots of insight.” —Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, President and CEO of Compassion International

"This wonderfully enlightening book describes the Mayan culture in Guatemala and some of the sufferings these people have survived." —CBA Retailers + Resources

Includes Reading Group Guide

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401689926
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	08/12/2014
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Bruce Wydick is professor of economics and international studies at the University of San Francisco.He has published academic articles in leading economics journals and was the lead investigator of the worldwide impact study of Compassion International's child sponsorship program."

Editorial Reviews

What actually works to reduce poverty in poor countries? A distinguished development economist uses the unusual format of a well-written, emotion-packed novel, weaving together careful history and sophisticated economics, to show the ordinary reader what works and what does not. Gripping, enlightening, and very readable. A must read.

founder Evangelicals for Social Action Ron Sider

Bruce Wydick successfully mixes adventure, mystery and economic analysis in his novel. His book will generate great discussions in an introductory Economic Development class or a Latin American studies course. Students with little or no exposure to life in a developing country will get a compassionate view of the origins of something we often take for granted: a cup of coffee.

Emily Conover

Bruce Wydick's story is a tale of discovery, a quest to Central America to find out how the coffee trade really works. While sympathetically portraying a range of perspectives about international economics, wealth and poverty, the book is also a meditation on how we know anything about the workings of the economy.

Dean Scrimgeour

The Taste of Many Mountains will amuse, confuse, and perhaps displease its readers. While a novel about economics graduate students would seem to many to be, at best, an effective treatment for insomnia, this book is both engaging and thought-provoking. Anyone who is interested in reducing poverty in developing countries would learn much from this book, and those who think they already know how to achieve this goal are likely to learn the most.

Paul Glewwe

This wonderfully enlightening book describes the Mayan culture in Guatemala and some of the sufferings these people have survived. It also teaches that through adversity and hardship God’s love shines through and is shared with others.

CBA Retailers + Resources

Building on a dominant, tangible ritual of modern society—-coffee drinking—-Bruce has crafted a thoughtful story of economic and personal discovery. The narrative is rich in economic principles, filled with insights into the richness and process of doing research fieldwork, and packed with perspectives on poverty and global markets.

Travis Lybbert

Coffee lovers are on a continual quest for the great cup of coffee. Dr. Bruce Wydick is on a simultaneous quest to understand how some of those great coffees are nurtured and grown by some of the world’s poorest farmers. And that begins the story, the mystery, and the twists in The Taste of Many Mountains. The noble lives of the growers he portrays who farm the hillsides of Guatemala could only be developed by the heartfelt, firsthand knowledge of a researcher who has lived in their midst, agonized with their struggles, and admired their characters. Anybody who wants to ‘do good’ needs to read The Taste of Many Mountains! An excellent novel in its own right—-it also explodes the illusion of easy answers and cliché responses to the challenges of globalization and alleviating poverty. Dr. Wydick's first novel is brewed perfectly for his readers—-full of rich body with double-shots of insight.

President & CEO Compassion International Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado

Coffee lovers are on a continual quest for the great cup of coffee. Dr. Bruce Wydick is on a simultaneous quest to understand how some of those great coffees are nurtured and grown by some of the world’s poorest farmers. And that begins the story, the mystery, and the twists in The Taste of Many Mountains. The noble lives of the growers he portrays who farm the hillsides of Guatemala could only be developed by the heartfelt, firsthand knowledge of a researcher who has lived in their midst, agonized with their struggles, and admired their characters. Anybody who wants to ‘do good’ needs to read The Taste of Many Mountains! An excellent novel in its own right—-it also explodes the illusion of easy answers and cliché responses to the challenges of globalization and alleviating poverty. Dr. Wydick's first novel is brewed perfectly for his readers—-full of rich body with double-shots of insight.

President & CEO Compassion International Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado