Rating:  -
I had really no expectations from this book as gardening and plants are not my interests, but after reading the introduction I was curious to find out how the author is going to put the subjects together. It didn't take long for me to be absorbed in his magic of weaving his personal passion, history, and philosophy together with such ease. The entire time I was reading this book, I felt like I was there in person with these stories, and after I finished, I wanted to go out and get some beautiful tulips right away. (too bad, it is not tulip season now). The basis of this book is a new way of looking "coevolution" of plants and human beings as equal partners, instead of the conventional concept of "artificial selection". The realization at the end is the value of "biodiversity", "necissity of wildness" as opposed to "monoculture" caused by mass production. He selected four plans to represent different desires of human and he presents many interesting historical facts, (sheds some of the myths as well) and their relevancy to our current way of life. Because of his wonderful writing style, he comes alive as if he is sitting at the dinner table, casually chatting about his experiences and his knowledge. I appreciate his curiosity and his observations in nature/life which probably make his mind sharp and his life more interesting and this book motivated to do so as well. I think these plants will never seem the same again and that's a wonderful thing.
Rating:  -
Divided into four sections the book explains how and why humans have redesigned certain plants for their enjoyment and the consequences of those choices. Enjoyed and learned a great deal.
Rating: -
When you get to the part about how Monsanto licenses its seeds for one planting season only and how it's created a GM potato the secretes its own insectide, you'll understand why our food system is so screwed up. And you'll probably never to want to eat at McD's again.
Well-written and reasoned. Read this book even if you're not a botanist or eco-warrior. It might just poke you in the mind a bit.
Rating:  -
The book starts off great with the apple and ends well with the potato. But in the middle Pollan loses what makes his books often so interesting. I enjoy Pollan's personal telling of the narrative. How he inserts himself into the history of the plant he is discussing. I also enjoy the quirky details he relates in the history. But he really pushes this Dionysian vs. Apollonian ideals concept throughout the book. At points the book, especially the tulip chapter, seems thin and heavily molded to this ideals debate. I didn't gain too much from this thesis and actually felt a bit beaten over the head by it. I get wanting a unified theme but it just came off as a long winded lecture that did little to illuminate the best portions of the text.
Rating: -
This is a great book, that goes very well with the other books Michael Pollan has written (In Defense of Food and The Omnivores Dilemma). A little different style from those two, as it takes the view from the plant, rather than our view of the plant. Great look at how the plants listed in the book (apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes) actually have a hold on us, as opposed to the other way around.
Great book, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in botany, gardening, organic food, or anything else related to that.
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