This Is Your Mind On Plants: Opium―Caffeine―Mescaline
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THE INSPIRATION FOR THE MAJOR NEW NETFLIX SERIES, HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND
‘It’s a trip – engrossing, eye-opening, mind altering’ New Statesman
‘Fascinating. Pollan is the perfect guide … curious, careful, open minded’ The Guardian
Of all the many things humans rely on plants for, surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate, calm, or completely alter the qualities of our mental experience. In This Is Your Mind On Plants, Michael Pollan explores three very different drugs – opium, caffeine and mescaline – and throws the fundamental strangeness of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs, while consuming (or in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants, and the equally powerful taboos.
In a unique blend of history, science, memoir and reportage, Pollan shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively. In doing so, he proves that there is much more to say about these plants than simply debating their regulation, for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds, we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can. This ground-breaking and singular book holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds and our entanglement with the natural world.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (7 July 2022), Penguin |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0141997338 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0141997339 |
| Dimensions | 21.6 x 13.8 x 1.74 cm |
by I. Krutainis
I found the caffeine part most interesting as it was one I can intimately relate to, while opium and mescaline was also super fascinating.
by Adrian
Great book, proper journalism from great author
by Kort Cooper
Outstanding, my second michael pollen book, the way he writes is utterly spectacular, he could be writing about watching paint dry and I would be engorged!
The caffeine and poppy chapters are outstanding, I had NO idea how much these plants impacted our lives
Phenomenal book, along with how to change your mind
by Kindle Customer
I just love Michael!
After reading How to change your mind i wasnt expecting anything less interesting than this, kind of, sequel
Highly addictive to read and amazingly put together!!!
Well done Michael, highly recommend to anyone who is into these controversial things, like me!!!
Have a fun reading people! 🙂
by Adam Lehodey
I picked up this book having previously read Pollan’s ‘How to Change Your Mind,’ which did truly blow my mind. I am always recommending that book. This book follows on from that, and was an interesting read, but perhaps because I’ve now done so much more research on this subject, I feel like I didn’t learn so much from this book. It was still an interesting read though, and I enjoyed it.
by Matt Evans
The caffeine essay is fascinating, and will make you re-think your relationship with coffee.
Mescaline is also great, although it descends a little too much into woo for my tastes towards the end.
In contrast the chapter on opium was a frustrating read. Much of the time Pollan spends speculating about the legal status of his plant and I kept screaming “TALK TO A LAWYER!” That way he could ge the answe in 15 minutes instead of months. Except then it would be a short essay. He does eventually talk to a lawyer… although by then you may have given up on the essay.
Despite those reservations I had a good time with the book and learned a bunch.
by Wydawnictwo Blekitna Kropka, Dariusz Jamrozowicz
Informative and written in a great style. Or the greatest. Read it, even if you are not really interested in psychoactive substances. You will.
by chris kelly
Brilliant to learn about these incredible plants and the roles they play in our society.