The Orchid Thief

One of the best books I've ever read, is The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. I was reminded of it when I was at a garden shop picking up impatients as well as checking out their orchid stock.

In her own words, Susan Orlean says,

"In 1994, I headed down to Florida to investigate the story of John Laroche, an eccentric plant dealer who had been arrested along with a crew of Seminoles for poaching rare orchids out of the a South Florida swamp. I never imagined that I would end up spending the next two years shadowing Laroche and exploring the odd, passionate world of orchid fanatics. I certainly never imagined that I would willingly hike through the swamps of South Florida -- but that's what writing a book does to you. I found myself as passionate about the project as the orchid fanatics were about their flowers, and that is ultimately what the book is about. I'm proud to report that the book was a New York Times bestseller, a Barnes and Noble Discover book, a Borders New Voices selection, an honoree in the American Library Association and New York Public Library books-of-the-year selections, and the subject of the movie, Adaptation."

Meryl Streep starred as Susan Orlean and Chris Cooper played John Laroche, the Orchid Thief. He was rewarded with an Acadamy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his remarkable performance.

The book was fascinating and laugh out loud funny at times. I enjoyed the movie a lot too, which isn't always the case when movies are made from books.

Whenever I see an orchid I think of that book, I remember the history and how rare and sought out orchids were, and laugh at the visual image in my head of Susan tramping through the Florida swamps with an ex-con with a machete.