While much of the information provided in the chapter is very interesting, pollans writing style really gets in the way. Has the botany of desire by michael pollan been sitting on your reading list. The inaugural meeting of the earth eats book club online chat will be thursday, may 6 at 9 pm et. Botany of desire has anyone used this bookmovie in. Parking for this event can be found along walton road and light refreshments included. Nature book club the botany of desire by michael pollan tickets. In the botany of desire, pollan notes that every human culture in recorded history has desired to achieve an altered state of mind through hundreds of years of hybridizing, humans have bred a cannabis plant perfectly tuned to flip the switch on the reward centers of the.
A plantseye view of the world is a 2001 nonfiction book by journalist michael pollan. His book takes an imaginative leap into the plant world which fascinates, irritates. Pollan a place of my own, 1997 uses four plant species to support his thesis. The botany of desire finds that plants are not as dumb as they look. Chicago turabian author date citation style guide pollan, michael. Chef and gardener liz barbour will take you on a slide presentation tour through her cottagesized edible gardens. Reflecting the theme of the title, there are four human desires that are associated with these plants. The only complaint i have about the botany of desire is that the title is misleading. Inverting the natural tendency to believe that people are somehow outside of nature, he asserts that plants manipulate our desires to help them survive and proliferate that we are, in essence. Reviews of the botany of desire april 30, 2001 pollan shines a light on our own nature as well as our implication in the natural world. A plantseye view of the world by michael pollan is our choice for discussion. A plantseye view of the world by michael pollan and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Apr 26, 2011 curious minds and lively thinkers are welcome at our next book club meeting.
It is a stunning insight, and no one will come away from this book without having their ideas of nature stretched and challenged. Erudite, engaging and highly original, journalist pollans fascinating account of four everyday plants and their coevolution with human society challenges traditional views about humans and nature. With so many fine books available, we better start reading, and to help, weve launched the blandy book club. This lesson prompts thought and discussion on controversial human efforts to alter plants, most recently by means of genetic. In the botany of desire, pollan makes a persuasive case that the plants we might be tempted to see as having been most domesticated by humanity are in fact also those that have been most effective in domesticating us. The botany of desire is an rewarding movie about how certain plants effect our lives and have. Event details nature book club the botany of desire. So many moving, insightful, and powerful books have been written about the environment, natural history, personal reflection, and special places.
Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. Botany of desire by michael pollan district of columbia. The new york times pollan has a wideranging intellect, an eager grasp of evolutionary biology and a subversive streak that helps him to root out some wonderfully counterintuitive points. Chicago turabian humanities citation style guide pollan, michael, the botany of desire book club kit. These plantsthe apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potatoare linked with four human fundamental desiressweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control. The guide is intended to serve as a tool that a range of. In the botany of desire, michael pollan ingeniously dem. This was another museum book club pick from our minneapolis institute of art. The potato, by fulfilling our desire for mastery, the control over surrounding. Mar 22, 2016 pollans book botany of desire is a mixture of history, personal memoir, and botany that relates aspects of the relationship of four domesticated plant species to human life.
The botany of desire is a book which presages two of pollans later books, the omnivores dilemma, and how to change your mind. Botany of desire by michael pollen district of columbia. That said, there is much to learn in reading the botany of desire bod, hereinafter. The botany of desire by michael schwarz michael schwarz. While much of the information provided in the chapter is. Watch botany of desire by pbs excellent free documentary. The botany of desire examines the human desire to alter consciousness by telling the story of cannabis, which is one of several psychoactive plants that affect our brains. Well be discussing michael pollans the botany of desire. Each, by offering some quality that we humans find valuable, has managed to propagate itself throughout the world.
The botany of desire lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. He writes about how humans have affected the evolution of plants and in turn plants have affected our evolution as well. May 08, 2001 the botany of desire is a book which presages two of pollans later books, the omnivores dilemma, and how to change your mind. I had it sit in my library of blinks for a while, thinking it had something to do with how plants influence sex, for example explaining aphrodisiacs. The botany of desire viewers guide provides a synopsis of the film and offers discussion questions about each of its four chapters. Michael pollan goodreads author shelved 2 times as sciencebookclub. The book is broken into four sections, on apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. Study questions, project ideas and discussion topics based on important themes running throughout the botany of desire by michael pollan. As with the other chapters in this book, pollan uses history and descriptions of. Nature book club the botany of desire by michael pollan. Curious minds and lively thinkers are welcome at our next book club meeting.
The botany of desire brings michael pollans bestselling book to pbs, showing how human desires are an essential, intricate part of natural history. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. In the botany of desire, pollan notes that every human culture in recorded history has desired to achieve an altered state of mind. Visa, mastercard, american express paypal, diners club and discover.
In the botany of desire, pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. Citation formats are based on standards as of july 2010. A new literary classic, second nature has become a manifesto not just for gardeners but for environmentalists everywhere. What is pollans main point in chapter 2 of the botany of desire. Through hundreds of years of hybridizing, humans have bred a cannabis plant perfectly tuned to. Eventbrite haverford college arboretum presents nature book club the botany of desire by michael pollan friday, february 7, 2020 at.
The book suggests that the war on marijuana has caused massive erosion of american civil. Pick up the key ideas in the book with this quick summary. The botany of desire questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on the botany of desire. Pollans book botany of desire is a mixture of history, personal memoir, and botany that relates aspects of the relationship of four domesticated plant species to human life. I have not used botany of desire so i cannot help in that regard. In 1985 henry hobhouse published an important and original piece of historical writing. Popular science book club books showing 150 of 240 i contain multitudes. However, i see the comment string drifting toward the omnivores dilemma and thought i would contribute. Inverting the natural tendency to believe that people are somehow outside of nature, he asserts that plants manipulate our desires to help them survive and proliferate that we are, in essence, rendered human bumblebees. In his articles and in bestselling books such as the botany of desire, michael pollan has established himself as one of our most important and beloved writers on modern mans place in the natural world. The botany of desire by michael pollan teachers guide.
He masterfully links four fundamental human desiressweetness, beauty, intoxication, and controlwith the plants that satisfy them. The botany of desire by michael pollan the guardian. A plantseye view of the world, asks the reader to stop considering only the human point of view of nature and to take the perspective of the plants themselves. In the botany of desire, michael pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people. Michael pollan promises a plants perspective of the world in the botany of desire and delivers a book about human nature. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Michael pollens book the botany of desire is now a documentary produced by pbs. In 1985 henry hobhouse published an important and original piece of historical writing called seeds of change. Discuss how human desires are reflected in the way we grow, breed, and genetically engineer our plants in our book club focusing on the botany of desire by michael pollan. The book that helped make michael pollan, the new york times bestselling author of how to change your mind, cooked and the omnivores dilemma, one of the most trusted food experts in america every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers.
In michael pollans the botany of desire, we get four stories. Pollan presents case studies that mirror four types of human desires that are reflected in the way that we selectively grow, breed, and genetically engineer our plants. I loved food rules, and in defense of food, and the omnivores dilemma. For the botany of desire pbs television documentary guide, please download the pdf. You might not think the story of a plant would be very compelling, but as our plaza branch baristas book club learned, pollan intrigues readers through careful management of historical facts, research, and personal anecdotes. Michael wrote the whole book on the plants point of view and how we are the objects of their desire. Botany of desire has anyone used this bookmovie in class. In the botany of desire, michael pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. The microbes within us and a grander view of life hardcover by. Book club discussion the botany of desire neamhspleachas. The botany of desire book club kit wilkinson public library.
By the time i finished the first section, apples, i never wanted to eat another apple again. This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the botany of desire. Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers. Michael pollans 2001 nonfiction book, the botany of desire. The potato has a way of getting humans to plant it year after year successfully. Read free book excerpt from the botany of desire by michael pollan, page 1 of 2. Eventbrite haverford college arboretum presents nature book club the botany of desire by michael pollan friday, february 7, 2020 at woodside cottage haverford college, haverford, pa. The number four is also operative in the botany of desire, which was published in 2002.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, i think perhaps botany of desire requires a certain curiosity about that world that many of us develop later in life, and that it may simply be above the maturity level of many who have been required to read it. Botany of desire, the by michael pollan, 9780375760396, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Mar 08, 2011 i have not used botany of desire so i cannot help in that regard. The book that helped make michael pollan, the new york times bestselling author of cooked and the omnivores dilemma, one of the most trusted food experts in america in 1637, one dutchman paid as much for a single tulip bulb as the going price of a town house in amsterdam. The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers genes far and wide. The botany of desire every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers. The book that helped make michael pollan, the new york times bestselling author of how to change. My book club enjoyed pollens written word and the movie was an added treat for those who prefer a hollywood version. Popular science book club books showing 150 of 240.
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