Scan barcode
yourfriendsteph's review
5.0
My introduction to Pollen past the opinion's column in the NY Times positively exceeded expectations. "The Botany of Desire" is an exceptionally well organized adventure into the history of man's relationship with nature. Informative, intriguing, and very well written. I'm so happy Michael Pollan is a best-seller, because his cautions examinations are worth modeling.
pnwtinap's review against another edition
4.0
Am interesting look into plants and how we work with and sometimes against them.
endless30's review
3.0
loved omnivore's dilemma, but only found this one mildly interesting and pretty boring.
bbensonn's review against another edition
5.0
I finally have some time to write some reviews!!
If you're into anthropology/social sciences I highly suggest this book!
Over the past few years as I've gotten more comfortable with reading non-fiction I've found that some books are more consumable than others. The Botany of Desire is the kind of read that you can take breaks with and not be totally confused when you pick it up a few weeks or days later. I love it for this! The author does a really good job weaving personal experience with his field work research, as well as more science heavy information.
The book is structured in four parts, each looking at a plant and using that plant's biological evolutionary history as a lens to view a human desire through. I'll give an example.
Through the exploration of the tulip, Michael Pollan dissects human beings' desire for beauty. The exploration of the apple is used to better understand mankind's obsession with sweetness. The other two plants explored are weed and the potato.
Again, the book was really easy to understand and I honestly found the information really interesting! My favorite was probably either the weed or potato section. If your looking for something that will give you an interesting take on the consequences and benefits of human interaction with nature, then pick this book up!!!
*It's also super good on audio!!*
If you're into anthropology/social sciences I highly suggest this book!
Over the past few years as I've gotten more comfortable with reading non-fiction I've found that some books are more consumable than others. The Botany of Desire is the kind of read that you can take breaks with and not be totally confused when you pick it up a few weeks or days later. I love it for this! The author does a really good job weaving personal experience with his field work research, as well as more science heavy information.
The book is structured in four parts, each looking at a plant and using that plant's biological evolutionary history as a lens to view a human desire through. I'll give an example.
Through the exploration of the tulip, Michael Pollan dissects human beings' desire for beauty. The exploration of the apple is used to better understand mankind's obsession with sweetness. The other two plants explored are weed and the potato.
Again, the book was really easy to understand and I honestly found the information really interesting! My favorite was probably either the weed or potato section. If your looking for something that will give you an interesting take on the consequences and benefits of human interaction with nature, then pick this book up!!!
*It's also super good on audio!!*
nmorin's review against another edition
2.0
didn't do it for me, kept sexualizing plants seemingly for no good reason.. "I can remember the exact moment that spud seduced me, showing off its knobby charms in the pages of a seed catalog." is a direct quote, the tulip stuff was too racy to post here. his writing obscured the interesting parts and I feel like he bludgeoned me with the points he wanted to make. writer is obsessed with dionysus and apollo.
drillvoice's review
5.0
A wonderfully written and thoroughly engaging book. Very whimsical - you have to indulge the author. Yet filled with interesting reflections, thoughts and insights. A perfect book to read during the summer holidays, preferably while vacationing near a river (not the beach.)
yosemite_spins's review
4.0
It took about a year to read this book, probably because every time I picked it up I thought to myself how much I would have preferred to read a blog about the topic. It is not that it is not well written, for the past week I have been consistently dreaming about potatoes, it is just a bit much to try to swallow this much opinionated non-fiction in one sitting.
aruejohns's review
5.0
This book has been on my to-read list for a while now, and when I received it as a gift a few weeks ago I was eager to get started. And boy, do I wish I had read it earlier. This book not only explores the human-plant relationships that I had hoped for, but also sheds light on humanity and what makes us - ourselves and our societies - tick. This was one of the rare books that I devoured ferociously, but also paused to really consider the consequences of. I may not agree with all of Pollan's conclusions (I haven't decided yet), but they are certainly thought-provoking and worth considering for all of us - gardeners as well as anyone who interacts with plants.