I am a big fan of Michael Pollan, and would recommend his works to any friend who enjoys a mix of history, politics, food, and the natural world. This is not his best work, but it is still pretty good. The book follows four plants and discusses how they reflect human desires, and vice versa. The plants/desire combinations, if I remember them correctly, included: beauty/tulip, sweetness/apple, intoxication/marijuana, and control/potato.

While some of Mr. Pollan's arguments occasionally require a bit of a leap or maybe a little faith, his ideas are always thought provoking and worthy of some reflection. If you are going to read his works, this is pretty good. However, if you are only going to read one, I would recommend Second Nature first.