This Is Your Mind on Plants

"That doesn't stop him doing it, with predictably tedious consequences, but he constructs a nice chapter all the same out of other bits of information."

"Pollan situates himself and his wife, Judith, in the thick of the action."

"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."

"After coming down from my reading high, though, I have a couple of reservations."

"He has left the reader with some 'more interesting stories about our ancient relationship with the mind-altering plants,' stories likely to trigger new debates and discussions as well as, no doubt, a fair amount of illicit gardening."

"[Pollan's] descriptions of London's coffee house culture and Honoré de Balzac's barbarous habit of ingesting dry coffee grounds to fuel all-night scribbling sessions are worth the book's price alone ..."

"A wide-ranging investigation that will interest anyone curious about consciousness-altering substances and their varying legality."

"Our mind on Pollan revels in his exceptional narrative lucidity and command of complex and intriguing facts and concepts."