Second Nature

In his articles and in best selling books such as The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan has established himself as one of our most important and beloved writers on modern man s place in the natural world A new literary classic, Second Nature has become a manifesto not just for gardeners but for environmentalists everywhere As delicious a meditation on one man s relationships with the Earth as any you are likely to come upon The New York Times Book Review , Second Nature captures the rhythms of our everyday engagement with the outdoors in all its glory and exasperation With chapters ranging from a reconsideration of the Great American Lawn, a dispatch from one man s war with a woodchuck, to an essay about the sexual politics of roses, Pollan has created a passionate and eloquent argument for reconceiving our relationship with nature. New Download [ Second Nature ] Author [ Michael Pollan ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr I am an unabashed fan of Michael Pollan Yes, it may sound strange, but in my esteem, he is tantamount to a rock star or a Hollywood A lister But Rachel you may be thinking, he s just a regular guy In fact, he s just a bald and bespectacled ol college professor Despite these potentially legitimate arguments, I classify Michael Pollan among the ranks of the elite So, when I learned that Michael Pollan published a book about gardening in the early 1990 s, I seized the opportunity to get a I am an unabashed fan of Michael Pollan Yes, it may sound strange, but in my esteem, he is tantamount to a rock star or a Hollywood A lister But Rachel you may be thinking, he s just a regular guy In fact, he s just a bald and bespectacled ol college professor Despite these potentially legitimate arguments, I classify Michael Pollan among the ranks of the elite So, when I learned that Michael Pollan published a book about gardening in the early 1990 s, I seized the opportunity to get a glimpse of my fave author s early years And, as the book jacket promises, Second Nature is likely to be the most intensive and perhaps the only mo...All Pollan s books explore the ways people relate to the world around them, from plants to food in general to space itself This one s about gardens and gardening, and is probably the book in which he most explicitly addresses man s relationship to nature.The oft repeated thesis of this book is that all American concepts of the physical world and our place in it stress a division between nature and culture, and that while this notion has been useful in its various forms Puritan establishment to All Pollan s books explore the ways people relate to the world around them, from plants to food in general to space itself This one s about gardens and gardening, and is probably the book in which he most explicitly addresses man s relationship to nature.The oft repeated thesis of this book is that all American concepts of the physical world and our place in it stress a division between nature and culture, and that while this notion has been useful in its various forms Puritan establishment to the Wil...I ve been a gardener my whole life and so was delighted with Michael Pollan s story of his experiences with gardening and the endless struggles we go through as nature does its best to undo our every effort A great read and a true gem of a meditation on gardens and the human spirit.After 2012 This is my third read of Second Nature Once again I m impressed by Pollan s ability...This book was, erm, okay Just okay There were definitely parts that I really liked about it historical overview of gardening in the US, Pollan talking about his struggles with his five acres, reminiscing about his childhood gardening memories But, and this is a big but, each chapter felt like it s own book, with a wrap up that left me feeling like SURELY this should be the end of the book, only to realize there were a gazzillion cds left in the case to go through When I put in the last one This book was, erm, okay Just okay There were definitely parts that I really liked about it historical overview of gardening in the US, Pollan talking about his struggles with his five acres, reminiscing about his childhood gardening memories But, and this is a big but, each chapter felt like it s own book, with a wrap up that left me feeling like SURELY this should be the end of the book, only to realize there were a gazzillion cds left in the case to go through When I put in the last one I actually gave a shout of rejoice that it was almost over How can something with great tidbits of information be so blasted boring, feel like it s lasting forever I stubbornly refused to quit listening to the cd, because see it isn t a bad book Just something about it wasn t enjoyable in it s entirety Only pieces were enjoyable Unfortunately those pieces were too few and far between And as a disclaimer as always reading and listening to a book often leave a rea...A fascinating and informative read that goes way beyond gardening Drawing from history, ecology, religion, literature, and philosophy, Pollan discusses how gardening addresses our relationship with nature.Excellent writing style For example, he entertainingly describes the loathsome slugs naked bullets of flesh evicted snails that hide from the light of day, emerging at sunset to cruise the garden along their own avenues of slime In addition to the lowly slug, Pollan addresses big topics A fascinating and informative read that goes way beyond gardening Drawing from history, ecology, religion, literature, and philosophy, Pollan discusses how gardening addresses our relationship with nature.Excellent writing style For example, he entertainingly describes the loathsome slugs naked bullets of flesh evicted snails that hide from the light of day, emerging at sunset to cruise the garden along their own avenues of slime In addition to the lowly slug, Pollan addresses big topics here including land use, genetic engineering, and other environmental issues He proposes a new ethic for environmental stewardship that views man s relationship to nature as that of gardener who is interconnected with the land, rather than the prevailing wilderness e...Written twenty five years ago, much of what this book is about is as true today as it was then because much of it is a history of the garden and gardening It s also, though, a contemporary study and self analysis of the author s one year experience of putting in a garden s on his newly purchased in 1984 five acre, old farm, in Cornwall, Connecticut, with bits of social and cultural commentary sown in Gardens are, he rightly point out, a form of self expression p 242 and Pollan exhi Written twenty five years ago, much of what this book is about is as true today as it was then because much of it is a history of the garden and gardening It s also, though, a contemporary study and self analysis of the author s one year experience of putting in a garden s on his newly purchased in 1984 five acre, old farm, in Cornwall, Connecticut, with bits of social and cultural commentary sown in Gardens are, he rightly point out, a...Gardening gives most of us our most direct and intimate experience of nature of its satisfaction, fragility, and power One of Pollan s earlier works, and it shows While there is a larger theme of gardening, there is also a lot of navel gazing I liked the narrative historical sections on different concepts of wilderness and nature, actually preferring those to Pollan s check in on how his zinnias are blooming The strongest section of the book was Planting Trees , discussing the historyGardening gives most of us our most direct and intimate experience of nature of its satisfaction, fragility, and power One of Pollan s earlier works, and it shows While there is a larger theme of gardening, there is also a lot of navel gazing I liked the narrative historical sections on different concepts of wilderness and nature, actually preferring those to Pollan s check in on how his zinnias are blooming The strongest section of the book was Planting Trees , discussing the history of trees and forestry I found his story on the local land and conservation efforts to re establish Cathedral Grove a historic white pine stand in his small New York town after it sustained damage in a hurricane to be the most compelling of the book He touches on larger questions in this chapter, whereas many of the other sections felt superficial and ridiculous The groundhog story was particularly maddening, and it lowered my respect for Pollan I couldn t believe some of the stuff he actually admitted ...Second Nature published in 1991 is Michael Pollans first book I started reading Michael Pollan when my sister gave me Botany of Desire, and I had missed this early book about gardening The voice is familiar to a Pollan reader, a combination of journalistic investigation, personal reflection, and an occasional zinger The book is arranged by the seasons, a device which works well enough, as Pollan tells stories of his increasing engagement with gardening I found myself laughing out loud, reco Second Nature published in 1991 is Michael Pollans first book I started reading Michael Pollan when my sister gave me Botany of Desire, and I had missed this early book about gardening The voice is familiar to a Pollan reader, a combination of journa...I haven t even read Michael Pollan s really famous work, but I always think of the Botany of Desire as one of the cornerstones of my perspective I don t know why it took me so long to get to Second Nature I m so fascinated by humanity s place in the landscape and I like his style In his typical style, Pollan brings a contemporary American ethnobotany to these classic garden icons Michael Pollan explores such items as his father garden vs his grandfather s gardenroses, history, modern hybrid I haven t even read Michael Pollan s really famous work, but I always think of the Botany of Desire as one of the cornerstones of my perspective I don t know why it took me so long to get to Second Nature I m so fascinated by humanity s place in the landscape and I like his st...This is a revolutionary book from my perspective It begins with the author s reflections on his grandfather s garden and his father s attitudes to yard care and continues to his own arduous garden making But along the way he considers the rich, fascinating history of gardens, yards, forests, and open spaces and how humans relate to them I particularly relished his chapters on the meaning of trees across a broad variety of cultures and the idea of a garden As he says, gardens are...

• English
• 25 October 2018
Michael Pollan
• Paperback
• 258 pages
• 0802140114
• Michael Pollan
• Second Nature