false 13839 13 Working in his garden one day, Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication. In making his point, Pollan focuses on the relationship between humans and four specific plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. He uses the history of John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) to illustrate how both the apple's sweetness and its role in the production of alcoholic cider made it appealing to settlers moving west, thus greatly expanding the plant's range. He also explains how human manipulation of the plant has weakened it, so that "modern apples require more pesticide than any other food crop." The tulipomania of 17th-century Holland is a backdrop for his examination of the role the tulip's beauty played in wildly influencing human behavior to both the benefit and detriment of the plant (the markings that made the tulip so attractive to the Dutch were actually caused by a virus). His excellent discussion of the potato combines a history of the plant with a prime example of how biotechnology is changing our relationship to nature. As part of his research, Pollan visited the Monsanto company headquarters and planted some of their NewLeaf brand potatoes in his garden--seeds that had been genetically engineered to produce their own insecticide. Though they worked as advertised, he made some startling discoveries, primarily that the NewLeaf plants themselves are registered as a pesticide by the EPA and that federal law prohibits anyone from reaping more than one crop per seed packet. And in a interesting aside, he explains how a global desire for consistently perfect French fries contributes to both damaging monoculture and the genetic engineering necessary to support it. Pollan has read widely on the subject and elegantly combines literary, historical, philosophical, and scientific references with engaging anecdotes, giving readers much to ponder while weeding their gardens. <I>--Shawn Carkonen</I> 908398 2001 The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World total:6548|5:2266|4:2789|3:1209|2:229|1:55| 6548 26626 10634 1128 2 8 false false Tue Apr 03 06:33:34 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 23 08:00:13 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 5 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 15 15:31:30 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 28 16:05:06 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 3 false false Thu Nov 13 18:33:26 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 13 18:40:12 -0800 2008 The Omnivore’s Dilemma is based around four meals and thi...more...]]> 1 3 false false Wed Nov 07 17:33:28 -0800 2007 Wed Apr 16 17:35:49 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 10 08:08:03 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 03 09:47:14 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 16 12:54:51 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 20 15:15:28 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Sep 06 08:19:33 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 06 08:19:38 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 2 true false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Apr 08 07:01:01 -0700 2007 Sun Apr 08 07:04:21 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 09:47:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 10:38:37 -0800 2008 Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, Asking For It, The Great Perhaps- all of which were mine- and I raided my girlfriend's bookcase for ...more...]]> 3 2 false false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 28 10:45:14 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 10:45:44 -0800 2008 more...]]> 1 3 true false Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 11:31:28 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 30 12:49:46 -0700 2008 3 1 false true Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 27 15:45:28 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 27 15:53:46 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 09 10:36:07 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 13 14:05:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 09 21:19:44 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 09 21:48:15 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 12 05:30:15 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 27 10:43:06 -0800 2007
...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 17 19:06:53 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 02:41:41 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 12 06:47:25 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 21 15:10:24 -0700 2007
The book is broken up into four differe...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 28 12:16:19 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 22:25:50 -0700 2007 Michael Pollan tells the tale of apples, tulips, cannabis, and potatoes and their co-evolution with human desire. Although I agree somewhat with his premise---that plants also influence human desires, not just vice versa---I never found that he full...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Aug 26 20:24:02 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 26 20:29:11 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 18:30:19 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 01 09:46:50 -0700 2007
The book was uneven at times, and the best chapters in my mind were the apple (sweetness) and the potato (control). Who knew that all modern ap...more...]]>