Susan Orlean is a journalist. She came across a story about man who was arrested for stealing endangered orchids from a Florida swamp. Orlean goes to Florida to follow the case and ends up meeting the man. John Laroche had been hired by the Seminoles to set up a nursery and he came up with a scheme to obtain the rare orchids, clone them and sell them to make a lot of money.
Laroche is the central character in the narrative but Orlean also profiles several other people and investigates related subjects. Laroche is a fascinating man who begins exploring a subject and then becomes engrossed in it. He may spend years collecting items but then decides he is done with it and stops, never to do it again. She delves into the world of obsessive orchid collectors and producers. She also explores the history of orchid collecting, the history of Florida and the history of the Seminoles.
It does get a little slow in the middle but it is worth it to go through to the end. This was a re-read for me and I found it as compelling as I did the first time. I would recommend this to people who like narrative nonfiction.
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