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From the Bookshelf of Science and Inquiry

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
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Start date
April 1, 2009
Finish date
April 30, 2009
Discussion
Book Club 2010 & Prior

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What Members Thought

Kathleen (itpdx)
Mar 26, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: non-fiction
Pollan presents us with a paradigm shift. He gives us the story of four plants that have become evolutionarily very successful by hitching their wagon to humans. The four plants that he explores are the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. He gives us the plant/human history and then uses this to explore some interesting topics including seed vs. grafting, speculation and value, psychoactive plant substances, genetic modification, and monoculture agriculture. His discussion is interestin ...more
Fostergrants
Nov 14, 2008 rated it liked it
the apple, the tulip, cannabis, the potato. mr pollan looks at the relationship between humans and plants using these popular four. how their history is so closely linked with ours and the idea that we may not have been totally responsible for their continued popularity. sometimes it is easy to forget humans ARE nature, not separate from or in charge of it. so the fact that a plant will manipulate a human the same way it does a bee or a butterfly is not a new idea but mr pollan's book makes it i ...more
Erica
Nov 04, 2009 rated it liked it
Shelves: environment
Although I wasn't into his writing style, he really has a fascinating idea in that he draws on 4 different plants to demonstrate how plants have 'used' humans to propagate themselves by satisfying our desire for control (potato), intoxication (marijuana), beauty (tulip) and sweetness (apple). He draws on some great examples to show how these plants have shaped and even altered our cultural myths and folklore. If can't get into his writing style, a PBS documentary was made out of this which has s ...more
bsc
May 20, 2009 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Wasn't really great until the last section on the potato, which was a real eye-opener. Not as good as Omnivore's Dilemma or In Defense of Food but still recommended. ...more
Velvetink
just found hardcover copy. `13//8/13

ebook version
...more
Mindy
Aug 15, 2007 rated it really liked it
Lenena
Oct 17, 2007 rated it it was amazing
Gabrielle
Jan 25, 2008 rated it liked it
Waldtochter
Mar 25, 2008 marked it as to-read
Debi
Mar 30, 2008 marked it as to-read
Betty
May 04, 2008 rated it really liked it
Anna
May 04, 2008 rated it liked it
Dallas
May 13, 2008 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: science
Amanda
Jul 17, 2008 marked it as to-read
Shelves: pop-sci
Jill
Jul 19, 2008 marked it as to-read
AER
Jul 30, 2008 marked it as to-read
Jill
Sep 16, 2008 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Jennifer Owen
Dec 20, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: non-fiction, science
lionlady
May 25, 2009 marked it as couldnt-finish
Shelves: science, finish-later
Fun!
Amy
Oct 15, 2009 marked it as books-i-own-to-read
Shelves: science
David Rubenstein
Aug 03, 2010 rated it really liked it
Shelves: nonfiction, biology
Meg
Nov 09, 2010 marked it as to-read
Shelves: informational
Bridget
Feb 09, 2011 rated it it was ok
Daniella Gullans
Mar 15, 2011 rated it really liked it
Dan
Mar 20, 2011 rated it really liked it
Shelves: science, food
Carly
Jul 25, 2011 marked it as to-read
Shelves: science
Casey
Feb 28, 2012 marked it as to-read
Edie Kestenbaum
Sep 17, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: food, books-read-2014
David
Oct 06, 2013 marked it as to-read
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