The Botany of Desire: A Plants' Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan

The Botany of Desire: A Plants' Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan, Botany, 271 pages. Check our Catalog!
Downloadable Audio.
Pollan's classic book from several years ago takes a look at the effect four plants have had on people throughout time and the effect that people have had on these plants. He covers apples through the story of Johnny Appleseed, and points out what has, I believe, become common knowledge because of this book, that Appleseed's efforts were aimed at cider production for that common frontier alcoholic beverage and not at healthy eating. He also tells the stories of tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. All the stories have great anecdotes and are informative. Maybe it was the smug narration on the audio version of this book, or maybe it's that thing where you have been hearing for so long about how great a book is, but despite the interesting stories, the smug tone of the book left me a little cold.