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lee_nuhh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
My first read by Michael Pollan, but looking forward to reading some others by him. His writing is fun, funny, and educational at once.
As someone who doesn't drink coffee, and hasn't participated in psychedelic drug use, I found this book deeply interesting and enlightening. Learning about of all 3 substances, going deep into the botany, history, and culture, in addition to the author's personal stories in his experiences with them, was eye-opening and has made me a bit curious about all. Overall a great read!
As someone who doesn't drink coffee, and hasn't participated in psychedelic drug use, I found this book deeply interesting and enlightening. Learning about of all 3 substances, going deep into the botany, history, and culture, in addition to the author's personal stories in his experiences with them, was eye-opening and has made me a bit curious about all. Overall a great read!
envy4's review against another edition
5.0
Michael Pollan writes about drugs/spiritual sacraments with such ease, it is easy to go on the ride with him. I read this book because hearing him talk about giving up coffee made me quit coffee and I wanted to follow up on my strange commitment. But I got so much more than a new lesson about coffee. I really feel like this a very spiritual book, even the coffee section. I’ve never viewed caffeine as I do now. The mescaline section also helped me understand my new perspectives which I have acquired through much inner works.
moogan__'s review against another edition
5.0
Listen to this book on audiobook. I enjoyed it very much I thought it was a great mix of history, science, and anecdotal stories. The storied helped the information to stick and as someone interested in gardening I found them very entertaining.
The caffeine section of the book was my favorite!
The caffeine section of the book was my favorite!
atrautmann217's review against another edition
5.0
Michael Pollan takes a deep dive into three different types of plants and their impact on humans. He delves into the historial, culture, and chemical significance of each one. I loved his thorough analysis, first hand experimentation, and writing style. I look forward to reading more and more of his work!
oodlesofbooks's review against another edition
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
flowtjo's review against another edition
3.5
Too short but good. I didn't mind his narrative style but it did take him a while to get to the point. I wish he'd covered more drugs.
wintrovia's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting look at opium, caffeine and peyote and how these different, plant-based drugs have influenced us over time. I find listening to long-winded tales of drug experiences tiresome, so the descriptions of the author's personal adventures were a bit dull for me, but overall I found the book reasonably entertaining.
amoralynn's review against another edition
Not in the mood right now, will try again later.
hkaube's review against another edition
3.5
Learning about the war on drugs and legality around growing poppies was interesting. As was the cultural significance of peyote within the Native American church. However, I didn’t appreciate how the author was told by native people that their peyote ceremonies were just for them and then he proceeded to keep trying to become part of one. The story would have been complete with him opting not to out of respect. I also found some of his language a bit too flowery/pretentious and the caffeine section sort of boring.