Botany of Desire

I read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. What caught my eye about this book was simply in the title, The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of The World. This book contains viewpoints from both humans and plants, and even insight into animals' minds as well. Pollan's book contains detailed descriptions of the history of four different plants' lives on this Earth: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. Pollan shares his own experiences and observations of these plants and their affects on the world. He describes their "life story", how they have been changed or mutated from their natural state, what their significance is to humans and animals, and how that significance has changed over time.

Pollan starts by describing the life of an apple. He tells the story of John Chapman, commonly known as Johnny Appleseed, and how he spread the growth of apple trees to the midwest. Pollan describes how an apple possesses a natural sweetness that humans and animals crave at birth. He then explains how the tulip represents beauty. The tulip can achieve many levels of beauty that humans have desired for centuries. Next is Marijuana. Marijuana is a form of intoxication that humans crave. All humans, whether consciously or subconsciously, feel the need to be intoxicated and experience a different state of mind and marijuana fulfills that craving. Lastly, Pollan describes how the mutations and modifications humans have made on potatoes reflect our constant need to be in control. Over time, we have found a way to control every genetic aspect of the growth of potatoes so that we can grow them exactly how we want them.

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part, but there were a few aspects that I could have done without. The extreme detail seemed almost unnecessary to get his ideas across. Also, some parts were difficult to get into and I had a hard time grasping some of the ideas. If you are up for a detailed read about the lives of plants, then I strongly suggest this book because despite my complaints, it is very well written.