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stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting look at three drugs: opium, caffeine, and mescaline. Listened to it on audio, read by the author and it was very engaging.
ellasiblik's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the caffeine and mescaline sections, but found myself feeling bored during parts of the first part on opium.
I love Pollan’s writing though, and I am learning so much yay!
I love Pollan’s writing though, and I am learning so much yay!
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it, though this felt like a short works companion adjacent to How to Change Your Mind (writing this on mobile so can't link book but may edit in later).
The opium section was originally in Harper's Weekly >20 years ago, with original pages restored that had been previously removed to avoid rubbing afoul of legal issues re: manufacturing a scheduled drug (presumably things have changed if we're publishing in a book). Caffeine was originally an Audible original, and the second paper version of an audible exclusive I've seen which makes me wonder about how those exclusivity contracts work (especially in light of Sanderson's discussion about how poor Audible's deals are). Mescaline, then, seems to be original for this book, especially as describes plans in the first year of the pandemic.
Would've been a relatively short read, but my time is occupied!
The opium section was originally in Harper's Weekly >20 years ago, with original pages restored that had been previously removed to avoid rubbing afoul of legal issues re: manufacturing a scheduled drug (presumably things have changed if we're publishing in a book). Caffeine was originally an Audible original, and the second paper version of an audible exclusive I've seen which makes me wonder about how those exclusivity contracts work (especially in light of Sanderson's discussion about how poor Audible's deals are). Mescaline, then, seems to be original for this book, especially as describes plans in the first year of the pandemic.
Would've been a relatively short read, but my time is occupied!
tlwd's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
A lot of great flowery prose but not a lot of content. I only read the caffeine section.
b_kelso's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
Just his story telling alone should be a reason to read Pollan. Each of the three sections offered a perspective about being that was held in tension with the other.
marjoriehuang's review against another edition
4.0
this book needs to be renamed to this is my mind on drugs. I was expecting this book to be like entangled life. Instead, it's more of a memoir chronicling the misadventures of an aged hippie who seems to possess no common sense. He makes himself opium tea and begs native americans to give him peyote. He forces himself to stop drinking coffee just so that he can himself miserable and consequently prove that he's addicted? He calls his lawyer because he becomes paranoid that he's going to get in trouble for growing poppy plants so that he can make himself opium tea. His lawyer tells him shut up and to throw the poppy plants away. He throws the plants away, but then he writes a book announcing to the world that he's broken the law and bragging about the pleasing effects of said poppy tea.
It's actually a pretty enjoyable book at the end of the day. I listened to the audiobook, and I ended up having fun once I accepted the fact that i was going to get a memoir and not entangled life 2.0. however I did not like how the audiobook narrator prounounced "humans" like "yoomans"
It's actually a pretty enjoyable book at the end of the day. I listened to the audiobook, and I ended up having fun once I accepted the fact that i was going to get a memoir and not entangled life 2.0. however I did not like how the audiobook narrator prounounced "humans" like "yoomans"