I've been eager to read this book ever since it was first published. However, up until now, I've been extremely disappointed. Based on the blurb on the jacket and the reviews I've read, I had anticipated a beautifully written lay-science book that explored the intertwined fates of plants and humans. In fact, even the author's introduction led me to believe this would be the case.

But to my dismay, most of the chapter on the apple focused more on the historical facts about Johnny Appleseed rather than the apple itself. It seemed that the author was too lazy to do more than give a passing mention to anything that didn't occur in America, effectively neglecting almost the entire history of the fruit before 1776. If I have to listen to one more cutesy little thought about Johnny Appleseed, I'll seriously consider stopping this book altogether.

I'm hoping that the next chapter will make this blasted thing more interesting, but my expectations aren't very high.

(Updated: I don't think I even bothered to finish the darn thing in the end.)

The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan offers a fascinating perspective on the relationship between plants and humans. Pollan ingeniously shows how plants have evolved to satisfy our four fundamental desires: sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control. He links these desires with four familiar plants: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato.

The book also highlights the importance of preserving original plant species. Hybridization, while necessary for food production, can also lead to the disappearance of natural species. The author discusses the challenges facing global food production, including limited agricultural land, water resources, and the need to develop plants that can produce more and resist pests and water restrictions.

Pollan's visit to the Monsanto Company and his interviews with farmers provide insights into the methods used to increase food production. However, his claim that Monsanto has crossed the barrier between unrelated species in nature is controversial.

Overall, The Botany of Desire is an engaging and thought-provoking read. It makes us think about our relationship with plants and the consequences of our actions. While there are some inaccuracies in the book, it still offers valuable lessons about the importance of protecting nature and finding sustainable ways to produce food.

As an African and naturalist, I was particularly interested in the author's comments about Africa. While he acknowledges that Africans have a vast knowledge of plants, his assumption that Africans are not interested in flowers is inaccurate. In fact, Africa is home to a rich diversity of plant species, including many beautiful and showy flowers.

The book also made me reflect on the future of our planet. With a growing human population and limited natural resources, we need to find ways to live in harmony with nature. Hybridization may be one solution, but we also need to protect natural habitats and promote biodiversity.

In conclusion, I highly recommend The Botany of Desire to anyone interested in plants, nature, and the relationship between humans and the environment. It is a great starting point for further exploration and discussion.

I had a tendency to take pleasure in those sections of the work that appeared to be well-researched. There was a certain authenticity and depth to them that held my interest. However, when it came to his thought experiments, I found them less engaging. They often seemed rather abstract and not as firmly grounded in reality as I would have liked.

His preachiness was also a turn-off. It felt as if he was trying too hard to impose his views on the reader, rather than presenting the information in a more objective and balanced way. This made it difficult for me to fully embrace his ideas.

Finally, his meanness was something that really grated on me. There were times when his tone seemed unnecessarily harsh and critical, which detracted from the overall quality of the work. In conclusion, while there were aspects of the article that I enjoyed, these other elements prevented me from having a more positive overall impression.

Do you talk to your plants? More importantly, do you believe your plants communicate with you? If so, I have just the right book for you.

The Botany of Desire delves into the relationship between plants and humans. However, instead of concentrating on human actions, food journalist and gardener Michael Pollan presents the story from the plants' perspective. He commences with the concept of co-evolution, which posits that two species evolve in a mutually reliant manner, resulting in the selection of specific traits. Pollan endeavors to apply this evolutionary concept to human-plant interactions.

"Plants devised an astoundingly ingenious strategy: getting us to act or think on their behalf...it makes just as much sense to view agriculture as something the grasses did to people as a means to overcome the trees."

Reading this book was akin to looking through the wrong end of a telescope; the perspective seemed distorted. I was not convinced that Pollan fully grasped some of the scientific concepts he was attempting to elucidate. It all felt a bit...Gladwell-like. Pollan attempts to illustrate the intertwined evolutionary relationship between plants and humans by narrating the tales of four plants and the desires they fulfill.

Sweetness: The first section centers on apples and the story of John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed). Pollan devotes numerous pages to Chapman's life and his 'Dionysian' apple-planting endeavors, which enabled homesteaders to get dependably intoxicated on alcoholic cider. (Inspired by this chapter, I created a drinking game where I took a sip of scotch each time Pollan mentioned Dionysus or Apollo. I had to abandon this enjoyable crutch as there were so many references to both gods that I was getting dizzy.)

Beauty: The second section covers the speculative boom and bust surrounding tulip mania in Holland, along with some random thoughts about flowers throughout history and general ideas about beauty (e.g., symmetry is appealing as a proxy for good health). There were many opinion-based statements such as "beauty always occurs in the particular" that did not resonate with me; I find the ocean more beautiful as a whole than a solitary wave.

Intoxication: By far the most captivating, the third section discusses how humans seek intoxication through plants that produce stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, THC, and hallucinogens. There is some fascinating published research on these drugs, but Pollan veers away from the science to speculate on how THC mediates consciousness and can enhance creativity by dulling memory and creating the perception of heightened senses. (Helpful tip: you can get high from the hallucinogens secreted by some toads.)

Control over the natural environment: The final section is all about the unassuming potato, from the diverse varieties cultivated by the Aztecs to Monsanto's genetically engineered NewLeaf potatoes. Pollan is in his element as a food journalist, conversing with scientists about gene transfer and farmers about the impact of GMO potatoes on their livelihoods. Pollan has a clear bias in favor of organic farming, but he did raise interesting concerns about the unintended consequences of meddling with the plant genome (e.g., genes can "jump" to other plants via cross-pollination and the impact on the rest of the food chain is unknown.)

Perhaps if Pollan had focused on just one of the four desires, it would have been a more coherent reading experience. However, while there are interesting facts scattered throughout each chapter, the book涵盖了如此多不同且只是略微相关的观点，以至于没有空间进行深入的分析。读完这本书后，我仍然不相信作者的前提：

"Desire might be too strong a word for whatever it is that compels plants to reinvent themselves so that we might do their bidding, but then, our own designs have often been no more willful than those of the plants."

Honestly, finishing this book was a Herculean task; only my determination not to disappoint my friend Scot, who was reading the book with me, enabled me to scale this metaphorical Mount Olympus. (Where, I should note, I looked down at all the plants from my lofty perch. Not a toad in sight up here!) It's a shame, because Pollan writes beautifully and could probably be very engaging if he were covering a topic in which he has more expertise.

*This is an established concept in biology applied to relationships between plants and pollinating insects or animals; predators and prey; pathogens and humans; and some domesticated animals (like dogs) and humans. The idea that plants and humans have a co-evolutionary relationship does not seem to be well-supported in the scientific literature. I mean, it's not as far-fetched as the people who claim plants are silently screaming when we cut them down, but it's pretty fringe.

This article is truly great for anyone who has even the slightest interest in gardening or the relationship between humans and plants.

I found that I learned quite a number of interesting bits of information. I'm certain that these could come in handy and help me answer a trivia question or two.

Moreover, I also gained a more general understanding of the plants that I interact with on a daily basis without really giving them a second thought.

I absolutely loved reading this. I can't wait to have my own garden and start experimenting with the natural world.

Thanks to Mother Gaia for this wonderful opportunity to learn and explore!

It's amazing how much we can discover and appreciate about the plant kingdom when we take the time to look and learn.

I'm excited to see what else I'll uncover as I continue on this journey of gardening and plant exploration.

I read this a few days after finishing "The Omnivore's Dilemma", and started it the day after picking up "In Defense of Food". I truly adored the former, but I thought the latter was rather thin and seemed to be a repetition of what he had already stated. However, this book was a truly beautiful one. Although it wasn't the thick volume that "The Omnivore's Dilemma" was, it was written beautifully.

It also sets the stage very well for "The Omnivore's Dilemma". Here, using apples (with their remarkable ability to evolve based on seeds that don't grow exactly like the parent), tulips, cannabis, and potatoes, Pollan clearly presents the case that Richard Attenborough made several years before: that both humans and the foods they consume co-evolve. In the final chapter, he begins to describe the conundrum of monoculture, which he deals a fatal blow to in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (in the sense that anyone who reads it will understand once and for all what a deadly blow monoculture is to humanity).

I have a deep love for this beautiful book. It offers unique insights and perspectives that make it a must-read for anyone interested in the relationship between humans and food.

This may be my favorite Pollan book of all time.

It is written so beautifully and is full of wonder at the plant world.

The section on tulips as a flower embodying Apollo and Dionysus and the one about the apple were just brilliant.

It truly makes you see these common plants in a whole new light.

However, I do think the author goes a little nuts about GMOs at the end.

I am tempted to go with him into skepticism, but I am not sure it is warranted.

I think the dangers of monoculture are real, as it can lead to a lack of biodiversity and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases.

But I am not as concerned about the GMOs as he is.

There are many studies that suggest GMOs can be safe and beneficial in certain circumstances.

Perhaps a more balanced approach is needed when it comes to evaluating the risks and benefits of GMOs.

This book is truly a challenge to rate, and here are the reasons why.

At certain points, it almost seems as if Michael Pollan lost sight of his original outline. Sir, no offense intended, but wasn't your book supposed to focus on the coevolution between plants and humans? Instead, you're delving into topics like religion, spirituality, the art of forgetting, and, dare I say, witches administering drugs vaginally using a dildo or a "broomstick"?

Thankfully, Pollan has his redeeming qualities. This experimental and adventurous journalistic work made me sympathize with him to such an extent that I now have a strong desire to plant potatoes.

He doesn't just write about these things; he actually tries them out - growing and smoking pot, planting tulips, sampling different apples, and even planting genetically modified potatoes. Combined with the high-quality writing, it gives me the feeling of being a part of a friend's journey. However, just like with friends, there are times when they talk too much and you start to tune them out.

That's why this book most definitely has its highs and lows.

While the tulip chapter was mind-numbingly boring, I absolutely loved the chapter about marijuana.

But at the end of the day, I'm willing to give this book five stars simply because of its amazing writing style. I'm sure I'll pick it up again when my English has improved, so I can appreciate it even more (and maybe just skip the tulip chapter next time).

Edit: Changed it to four stars. I'm sorry.

It may sound like science fiction, but let me assure you... it's not.

Indeed, Pollan writes extremely well about the history and effects of four plants that have a profound impact on our lives. His tone and his excellent command of the various histories make his writing both personal and incredibly interesting.

I'm referring to Apples, Tulips, Cannabis, and Potatoes. I assume everyone has had apples and potatoes, and is at least aware of cannabis. As for tulips, they once caused a rather fascinating Dionysian meltdown among the Dutch, even toppling a kingdom. That's quite significant.

The real history of Johnny Appleseed might very well have been about apple alcohol, cider. Once upon a time, due to the diverse possibilities within the apple seed, the whole nation had thousands of different kinds of apples. People selected and bred the best, and suddenly this nearly unique source of sweetness became more than a huge market. However, when other foods replaced the apple's kingship of sweetness, the amazing variety had been reduced to a mere handful.

Our desire for apples led to this domestication, and beyond that, the apple trees themselves thrived in a paradise of genetic dispersion. Selective breeding programs have been around for a long time.

Tulips, with their beauty and sometimes erratic explosion of color, became a craze of economic speculation, driving prices up until it bankrupted a kingdom.

Cannabis, also a victim or a happy co-author of selective breeding, has undergone massive changes. Maybe it was the prohibition against it that made it so coveted, but this is almost as crazy as the Tulip economic bubble.

Potatoes, the last chapter, is all about control. Monsanto. If you want to be freaked out and get the details of that debate (as of 2001), I can promise you it will do the job nicely. The things done today with pesticides, GMOs, and the forced termination of genes to force farmers to come back to Monsanto repeatedly is a tragedy of epic proportions. And then there's the comparison to the mono-gene-culture that starved a million people in the Potato Famine in Ireland.

Can something like that happen to us? It's the big question. We're doing it to ourselves. Our need for perfect french fries may undo us all.

I have a deep love for the work of Michael Pollan. His vivid and detailed accounts of various things such as the apple, the rose, marijuana, and the potato are truly fascinating.

When I read his works, it's as if a whole new world is unfolding before my eyes. I gain a fresh perspective and understanding of these seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary elements.

The way he describes the history, cultural significance, and the intricate relationships associated with each of these items makes me look at them with a newfound appreciation.

His writing not only educates but also inspires me to think more deeply about the world around us and the hidden stories that lie within the most common of things.

Michael Pollan's work has truly had a profound impact on my perception of the world, and I continue to be enthralled by his unique insights and engaging narratives.

This is not my favorite among Pollan's books, yet it is still a good read.

I discovered that the chapters on marijuana and potato are by far the most captivating. The details and insights provided about these two plants were truly fascinating.

However, the chapter on tulips seemed a bit dull in comparison. It lacked the same level of excitement and intrigue.

In this book, Pollan attempted to be a bit more whimsical. But personally, I have a preference for his dry journalist wit that was more prominent in "Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food".

Overall, this is a book that should be savored and not rushed through. It offers valuable perspectives and information that are worth taking the time to absorb and reflect upon.

It may not be his best work, but it still has its own merits and is definitely worth reading for those interested in the topics he explores.

Michael Pollan's work is truly captivating.

One of the most fascinating books penned by him delves deep into the intricate relationship between plants and humans. He carefully selects several remarkable examples from the vast Botanic world.

These examples vividly illustrate how plants have co-evolved with humans over time. The connection between plants and humans is a mutually beneficial one.

Pollan skillfully uncovers the paths that evolution traversed to forge this alliance. At its core, this alliance is founded on desire.

Plants have developed certain characteristics and traits that appeal to human desires, whether it be for food, beauty, or other purposes.

In turn, humans have played a significant role in the spread and evolution of these plants.

This symbiotic relationship showcases the remarkable adaptability and ingenuity of both plants and humans in the ever-changing tapestry of life.