The Cockroach Papers
by Richard Schweid
Four Walls Eight Windows

It's the latest craze.

Recently, educated types have begun doing popular books about little topics that span the gap between the arts and sciences. Whether herrings, dust, or longitude, the theme of taking a small piece of the world and exploring it through a number of lenses has become increasingly prevalent in modern writing.

Watching an academic struggle valiantly (and vainly) to get a general audience excited about dust motes can make for a very disappointing read. But when journalist Richard Schweid decided to write about one of the most disgusting pests to plague mankind, he struck literary gold.

"The Cockroach Papers" is, as one might expect, all about cockroaches. No roach stays unturned: from ecology, to social life, to the impact (surprisingly large) that roaches have had on health, art and culture, "The Cockroach Papers" covers it all.

More importantly, it does so in such a lively, clever, and well-informed fashion that there's no way to put the damn thing down. By interweaving a personal narrative (involving, in part, a large pile of Madagascar hissing cockroaches) and strands of science, folklore and history, Schweid spins an incredible tale.

Perhaps the most gorgeous aspect of "The Cockroach Papers" is its author's tendency to wander off on seemingly random but consistently fascinating tangents. These range from Moroccan warfare to inner-city asthma attacks to the slums of Nicaragua, all of which are rendered in intriguing and colorful ways. At times, "The Cockroach Papers" reads less like a book and more like a collection of brilliant little feature stories, all threaded together with a common, six-legged theme.

What's more, these sidelights help put the cockroach into perspective, be it historical, artistic, social or economic. And since many of them are reported (rather than researched) a large portion of the book deals out the deep sting of first-hand experience, rendering Schweid's story in vivid, unforgettable terms. And while some books are best written by researchers working from well-stocked libraries and offices, "The Cockroach Papers" is not among them; the author's willingness to travel the world in pursuit of cockroaches pays off handsomely.

There's no doubt that "The Cockroach Papers" is among the best books of 1999. From its layout (creative) to its writing (electrically crisp and well-informed) to its topic (disgusting, but surprisingly important), "The Cockroach Papers" is a triumph.

— James Norton (jim@flakmag.com)