Monday, September 8, 2008
The Botany of Desire—Dr. Ruby Beil (Science and Mathematics)
The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan is a wonderful combination of botanical and cultural history and vivid story-telling. As required reading for a Plants and Human Well-being course offered at Cornell University, this book remains one of the most enjoyable and fascinating works I have ever encountered. If you’ve ever wondered how human desires for control, beauty, intoxication, and sweetness have played out in the world of plants, this book tells it all. Pollan has an artful ability to weave ecological and human realities into a gripping and inspired story. Other noteworthy books by the author include The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Pollan’s books inspire us to think about our dynamic human qualities and give us insights into being healthier and happier people.
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Ruby,
ReplyDeleteI am struck by your depiction of this book and also by the course title you identify (Plants and Human Well-Being). The book's idea of humans and plants as co-inhabitants of our environment is also an appealing invitation. As a reader with no background in the hard sciences, this sounds like a book I would not only understand but enjoy.
Kevin Hoskinson
I have read - and thoroughly enjoyed - three books by Michael Pollan. By chance, I read "In Defense of Food" just after "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. The two books complement each other perfectly as they remind us to respect the natural order of the planet, which in turn leads to improvement in our own well-being. If one ever needed a justification for spending a bit more on organic foods, look no further than these two fine titles.
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