This Is Your Mind on Plants (By Michael Pollan) – Book

This Is Your Mind on Plants achieved bestseller status according to the New York Times when it was published in 2021 by Michael Pollan.

Delve into the captivating world of human-plant connections with This Is Your Mind On Plants, a book authored by the #1 New York Times Best Selling author, Michael Pollan. This enlightening exploration unveils the profound and intricate relationship between humans and the botanical world. With an eloquent blend of science and storytelling, Pollan delves into the intriguing interplay of mind-altering substances and the human experience, peeling back the layers of our consciousness.

In this revelatory journey, he exposes the hidden dimensions of plants, their rich history, and their impact on the human psyche, from mind-altering psychedelics to the everyday herbs we take for granted. As you turn the pages of this book, you’ll gain a deep appreciation for the intricate connections between the natural world and the workings of the human mind.

With Pollan as your literary guide, you’ll be transported into a thought-provoking realm where botany and human cognition intertwine, leaving you with a profound understanding of the profound and often surprising ways in which plants shape our perceptions and experiences. ‘This Is Your Mind on Plants’ is a thought-provoking odyssey that will forever change the way you view the plant kingdom and your own consciousness.

This book is organized into 3 sections with an introduction:

1. Opium
2. Caffeine
3. Mescaline

Paperback : 288 pages

The instant New York Times bestseller | A Washington Post Notable Book | One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year

About the Author:

Michael Pollan is the author of seven previous books, including Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. He’s also the author of the audiobook Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World. A longtime contributor to the New York Times Magazine, he also teaches writing at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2010, TIME magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world.

Reviews:

“In his latest exploration of the enduring relationship between the human and natural worlds, Michael Pollan dives deep into how psychoactive plants—specifically opium, caffeine and mescaline—impact our brains and our cultures. Pollan is a master of breaking down complex science into an engaging story and challenging long-held societal beliefs. His newest offering, which follows his examination of the science of psychedelics in 2018’s How to Change Your Mind, aims to unpack our ideas about what constitutes a “drug” and, fundamentally, why we seek them.” — Time Magazine 

 “In this paradigm-shifting cultural history, Pollan challenges our ossified taboos about psychoactive plants, charting our powerful attraction to these substances—and exposing the arbitrariness of our self-imposed restrictions….From the war on drugs to cultural appropriation of mind-altering substances like ayahuasca, Pollan deftly explores the links between set and setting.”— Esquire 

 “The food writer continues his career pivot to controlled substance thought leader. While his previous outing, the immensely popular How to Change Your Mind, made the modern case for psychedelics, Pollan’s latest broadens his focus to include uppers and downers. Pollan examines three psychoactive substances that occur in nature: opium, caffeine, and mescaline. The opium chapter is an amusing tale of Pollan’s attempt to cultivate opium from garden variety poppies, while the caffeine chapter will make you take a hard look at how much coffee you drink. This is Your Mind on Plants evangelizes less than How to Change Your Mind, but it’s just as thought provoking and all the better for it.” — GQ 

 “The omnivorously curious Pollan pivots off his provocative How to Change Your Mind with an enthralling odyssey into a trio of mind-altering drugs found in plants: opium, caffeine, and mescaline. In this wide-ranging, deliciously written study, he asks, why does one power us up each morning while the other two are shrouded in taboo? You’ll never look at a Starbucks Pike’s Peak the same way again.” — Oprah Daily 

 “A lucid (in the sky with diamonds) look at the hows, whys, and occasional demerits of altering one’s mind.”— Kirkus Reviews 

 “Blending artful exposition of the evolution and neurochemistry of botanical drugs, erudite history, and (usually) precise and evocative prose, this is an insightful take on plants’ beguiling sway over the human psyche.” — Publishers Weekly