The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

I'm becoming a fan of Pollan ...

Loved this book. However, his lecture: "The Cornification of America" available at http://www.alternativeradio.org/programs/POLM001.shtml was even better. What a great book. But...even better: go to alternativeradio.com and download Pollan's lecture: the cornification of America. That's the stuff! He's a wonderful speaker and the story of corn is amazing. Still, I read...more

Loved this book. However, his lecture: "The Cornification of America" available at http://www.alternativeradio.org/programs/POLM001.shtml was even better. What a great book. But...even better: go to alternativeradio.com and download Pollan's lecture: the cornification of America. That's the stuff! He's a wonderful speaker and the story of corn is amazing. Still, I read The Botany...over two days - loving every minute. I have no scientific background and it was highly anecdotal and personal in its narrative. No problem for a lay person to digest - beautifully written in some places. I was disturbed (a bit) by the pot section, only because he seems to have not made the obvious hypothesis, in all his speculations of the wonders of pot, that the neural networks activated by pot (which can be activated by a number of other non-narcotic, non-external factors) adapt to pot, possibly making those networks/receptors less capable of triggering by other means. I feel that he has a bit of unconcious attachment to the idea that pot is harmless. In all his speculations he somehow misses this possibility. Still, I loved the book.   hide

My fave of Pollan's books, and a boon to me when I was teaching plant biology classes! Also, SO much better than the video version that came out (PBS??) in 2009.

I think Pollan falls prey to dry scientific analysis in a few spots, but the book is undoubtedly redeemed by the overarching theme, seeing the world through plants'...eyes (which hey, is appropriate since 'taters are one of...more

My fave of Pollan's books, and a boon to me when I was teaching plant biology classes! Also, SO much better than the video version that came out (PBS??) in 2009.

I think Pollan falls prey to dry scientific analysis in a few spots, but the book is undoubtedly redeemed by the overarching theme, seeing the world through plants'...eyes (which hey, is appropriate since 'taters are one of the subjects!) and putting people in the role of plants' tools.   hide

It was good but I think it was overrated. I think a reason many people like it was that he made a great argument for cannibus.[sp] I was more fascinated by the potato. It is ok but in a book like this I am not a fan of the travel book aspect. Write about the plant and the history and leave yourself out of it.

This is an interesting read, although I agree with other reviewers that it doesn't quite do what it sets out to do, tell the story from the plants point of view. Never mind, the story of how these common plants evolved to their current state is fascinating. I have always struggled to understand the tulip mania in Holland in the 17th Century, but when he compared it to our current mania for sport,...more

This is an interesting read, although I agree with other reviewers that it doesn't quite do what it sets out to do, tell the story from the plants point of view. Never mind, the story of how these common plants evolved to their current state is fascinating. I have always struggled to understand the tulip mania in Holland in the 17th Century, but when he compared it to our current mania for sport, it suddenly made sense to me. I thought the story of marajuana, particularly how it has adapted to current mad conditions since the 80s in the US was fascinating.   hide

I have listened to the Audible version of this book while driving. As a result I would listen to some chapters several times, and each time a different juicy detail jumped at me. The 4 chapters - about the potato, tulip, Marijuana and apple (not in that order) - are a fascinating walk between global history and personal history of the author with his musings and scientific tidbits...more

I have listened to the Audible version of this book while driving. As a result I would listen to some chapters several times, and each time a different juicy detail jumped at me. The 4 chapters - about the potato, tulip, Marijuana and apple (not in that order) - are a fascinating walk between global history and personal history of the author with his musings and scientific tidbits thrown in. The opening chapter about apples alone is worth buyng the book, with the close look Michal Pollan takes at the Johnny Appleseed myth.   hide

Pollan explores the coevolutionary history of humans and plants by tracing the historic interaction of four human desires with four different plants. Sweet through the apple; beauty in relation to the tulip; intoxication via the history of cannabis; control as reflected in potato history. I found something of interest and illumination in each section. I always appreciate Pollan's...more

Pollan explores the coevolutionary history of humans and plants by tracing the historic interaction of four human desires with four different plants. Sweet through the apple; beauty in relation to the tulip; intoxication via the history of cannabis; control as reflected in potato history. I found something of interest and illumination in each section. I always appreciate Pollan's journalistic-style research and need for first-hand exploration. Having previously read In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan's style has clearly evolved, perhaps coevolved in relation to his readers. His latter work is much smoother and more enjoyable than The Botany of Desire, as his almost conversational interaction with his reader has become more refined. Reading Pollan is like having a great and knowledgeable and entertaining friend join you for a long leisurely breakfast on the porch.   hide

This book can either be ridiculously exciting or terribly boring, depending on how interested you are in the book's subject: the interaction (yep) betwen plants and humans and other animals, particularly with the four plants that the author showcases (apple, tulip, cannabis, and potato).I found most of the book to be quite interesting but chose to skim parts of some of the less-exciting sections....more

This book can either be ridiculously exciting or terribly boring, depending on how interested you are in the book's subject: the interaction (yep) betwen plants and humans and other animals, particularly with the four plants that the author showcases (apple, tulip, cannabis, and potato).I found most of the book to be quite interesting but chose to skim parts of some of the less-exciting sections. I can easily imagine that some people would find this book utterly boring, but I happened to find most of it to be quite interesting. (I took a leap to this book after reading the slightly different book 'In Defense of Food' by this author.)   hide

rather different spin on the interactions between plants and humanity and how some plant species have benefitted from properties that humanity finds desirable...not sure i fully understand/ agree with the hidden agenda hypothesis of the plants - that they purposefully evolved certain properties to propagate their existence by being attractive to humans...but i love the way Pollan structures...more

rather different spin on the interactions between plants and humanity and how some plant species have benefitted from properties that humanity finds desirable...not sure i fully understand/ agree with the hidden agenda hypothesis of the plants - that they purposefully evolved certain properties to propagate their existence by being attractive to humans...but i love the way Pollan structures the evidence and his arguments taking in all sides   hide