Laurie S. (LaurieS) reviewed The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 504 more book reviews
This guy has inspired me to grow my own food and keep a few hens in the backyard. Being a little self-reliant in these unsettling times gives me a sense of stability and hope.
In this book, Pollan takes a look at four plants and relates them to human desires, I think . . . He starts things off with the apple and goes into a bit of long-winded ramble about Johnny Appleseed's quest to sell his trees to pioneers and his lust for a 10 year old bride (fortunately this bit wasn't dug into with any sort of detail). Johnny's enthusiasm for the apple and his desire to plant the seed (and refusal to graft) results in the many varieties that adapted to new climates. Though I'm learning a lot about Johnny here, I'd rather have more factoids about the apple. I'm hoping the following chapters are more interesting because I find my mind wandering more than usual while listening to this.
I've now finished up the tulip section and made it about halfway through the marijuana chapter but, at this point, I have come to the realization that this book just doesn't interest me. It's very repetitive and meandering. I'll finish it up and hope the potato's treatment can grab me enough to get through it.
Later: I finished up and did find the potato section much more interesting but that's because I'm always interested in GMO foods, the science, the corruption, the danger to our society, the greed . . . I didn't really learn anything new as this was written quite a few years ago but it still captured my attention all the same.
In this book, Pollan takes a look at four plants and relates them to human desires, I think . . . He starts things off with the apple and goes into a bit of long-winded ramble about Johnny Appleseed's quest to sell his trees to pioneers and his lust for a 10 year old bride (fortunately this bit wasn't dug into with any sort of detail). Johnny's enthusiasm for the apple and his desire to plant the seed (and refusal to graft) results in the many varieties that adapted to new climates. Though I'm learning a lot about Johnny here, I'd rather have more factoids about the apple. I'm hoping the following chapters are more interesting because I find my mind wandering more than usual while listening to this.
I've now finished up the tulip section and made it about halfway through the marijuana chapter but, at this point, I have come to the realization that this book just doesn't interest me. It's very repetitive and meandering. I'll finish it up and hope the potato's treatment can grab me enough to get through it.
Later: I finished up and did find the potato section much more interesting but that's because I'm always interested in GMO foods, the science, the corruption, the danger to our society, the greed . . . I didn't really learn anything new as this was written quite a few years ago but it still captured my attention all the same.
