Most Delicious Poison

by Noah Whiteman

A deadly secret lurks within our kitchens, medicine cabinets and gardens…

Digitalis purpurea. The common foxglove. Vision blurs as blood pressure drops precipitously. The heartbeat slows until, finally, it stops.

Atropa belladonna. Deadly nightshade. Eyes darken as strange shapes flutter across your vision. The heart begins to race and soon the entire body is overcome with convulsions.

Papaver somniferum. The opium poppy. Pupils constrict to a pinprick as the senses dull. Gradually, breathing shudders to a halt.

Scratch the surface of a coffee bean, a chilli flake or an apple seed and find a bevy of strange chemicals – biological weapons in a war raging unseen. Here, beetles, birds, bats and butterflies must navigate a minefield of specialised chemicals and biotoxins, each designed to maim and kill.

And yet these chemicals, evolved to repel marauding insects and animals, have now become an integral part of our everyday lives. Some we use to greet our days (caffeine) and titillate our tongues (capsaicin), others to bend our minds (psilocybin) and take away our pains (opioids).

Inspired by his father’s love of the natural world and his eventual spiral into the depths of addiction, evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman explores how we came to use – and abuse – these chemicals. Delving into the mysterious origins of plant and fungal toxins, and their unique human history, Most Delicious Poison provides a kaleidoscopic tour of nature’s most delectable and dangerous poisons.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, History, Food, Health, Chemistry

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[🩶 April • A.M. Flynn • 🩶 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this book was essentially the author’s life story along with histories of poisons in nature and how they intertwined with his own personal experiences.

[Mircea Petcu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toate plantele produc substanțe chimice pe care le pot folosi ca otrăvuri pentru a elimina competiția, pentru a descuraja erbivorele, pentru a neutraliza microbii și a pedepsi polinezatorii infideli.

E impresionant numrărul mare de toxine produse de plante care s-au dovedit a fi utile omului. Favorita mea este cofeina.
Cofeina este un alcaloid produs de plantele Coffea arabica (sursa boabelor arabica) și Coffea Canephora (sursa boabelor robusta), ambele originare din Etiopia. Cofeina inhibă hrănirea și induce o stare de hiperactivitate insectelor care atacă aceste plante. Este un insecticid natural.

Paracelsus a descoperit, acum mai bine de cinci sute de ani, regula de aur a toxicologiei: doza face otrava. Alfa-pinenul este o substanță volatilă produsă de anumite conifere pentru a se proteja de insectele erbivore. În creierul oamenilor, alfa-pinenul se atașează de receptorii pentru GABA, având un efect calmant (receptorii GABA sunt utilizați și de benzodiazepine, respectiv barbiturice). Dar în cantități mari, alfa-pinenul este letal pentru om.

Recomand

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed the book. I liked the messages and the illustrations (kudos to Julie Johnson). I also found that Whiteman did a great job of saying what is a hypothesis and what is speculation. I also liked that Whitemen did not oversell. But I found that the book got off to a slow start and there was too much personal information. Overall, though, this book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Spark for the digital review copy.

[simona.citeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un pic cam greuță și nu așa de interesantă cum îmi imaginam.
Autorul sare foarte des de la o idee la alta iar asta nu ajută prea mult.

e destul de greu să extragi informații cheie din ea din cauza stilului de scriere.
Pate fi de interes pentru biologi, oameni interesați de lumea plantelor,cei puțin mai pasionați de chimie și substanțe.

[Cav · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A deadly secret lurks within our refrigerators, pantries, medicine cabinets, and gardens. Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake, a poppy capsule, a Penicillium mold, a foxglove leaf, a magic mushroom, a marijuana bud, a nutmeg seed, or a brewer’s yeast cell, and we find a bevy of poisons..."

Most Delicious Poison ended up being a mixed bag for me. While it did contain a ton of interesting info, I had some gripes. I'll cover both "the good" and "the bad" below.

Author Noah Whiteman is Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution and Development and Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at UC-Berkeley. He also has affiliations with the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Center for Computational Biology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and University and Jepson Herbaria. His laboratory focuses on understanding how and why plants, microbes, and even some animals use toxins in offense and defense, and how some organisms overcome and even steal those toxins, from the monarch butterfly, to us

Noah Whiteman:


The book opens with an intro that I found to be a bit slow. I also found quite a lot of the writing here to be on the dry side, and found my attention wandering a few times here. Now, fault me if you will for my finicky attention, but I like my books lively, and my reviews are always heavily weighted towards this criteria.

The audio version of the book I have was also read by the author. Normally, I like when authors narrate their own books. Unfortunately, for some reason, this author's voice managed to thoroughly irritate me; grinding on my nerves as the book went on. There was just something about the author that I did not like, and he did not resonate with me. (Sorry, but it is what it is...)

He continues the quote from the start of this review below:

"...The chemicals in these products of nature are not a sideshow—they are the main event, and we’ve unwittingly stolen them from a war raging all around us. We use these toxic chemicals to greet our days (caffeine), titillate our tongues (capsaicin), recover from our surgeries (morphine), cure our infections (penicillin), mend our hearts (digoxin), bend our minds (psilocybin), calm our nerves (cannabinol), spice up our food and drink (myristicin), and enhance our social lives (ethanol)."

In this quote, the aim of the book is outlined:

"This book explores the fascinating and sometimes surprising ways that toxins from nature arose, have been used by us humans and other animals, and have consequently changed the world. We will follow several interrelated threads, or approaches, as we examine how these chemicals have influenced evolution and how they have penetrated each human life, for better and for worse."

On the positive side, there was quite a lot of ground covered in here. I read a fair bit, and I particularly enjoy learning about things that I have not read elsewhere. Quite a lot of the information presented here was stuff that I have not come across in the other science books I've read. For example, he's got some really interesting writing about eating spices as adults but not as children. There was also an interesting bit of information on sulforaphane and Parkinson's disease. As someone who sprouts broccoli seeds and eats them for their sulforaphane content, and someone with a close family member who has PD, I found this writing elucidating.

Unfortunately, however, as these things tend to do, the interesting subject matter covered here was overshadowed by the author's personal commentary. He chose to frame this book around his father's alcoholism, and eventual death. The results were... well; mixed.

Although there was probably a great deal left out of the book, it is clear (to me anyhow) from the writing here that the author has some serious daddy issues. If I were a gambling man, I would also bet that the author has some other pretty sizeable issues. There are little tidbits dropped throughout the book that hint at some pretty serious dysfunctionality. The author says he called his dad on Thanksgiving one year, and put the call on a 10 minute timer; among other strange anecdotes. When he found out his father died, he said it was "a relief." In the next sentence, it is implied that a good deal of this relief comes from the fact that his dad (gasp) owned guns. He says: "...While his passing was tragic, it was also a relief. My father was obsessed with guns."
~Yikes.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not passing judgment on his family life, as I know we all have our family issues, but I'm not sure how germane to the broader thesis of the book the inclusion of all this stuff was. Pearl-clutching over someone owning firearms, being set off by someone wearing a MAGA hat, and other irrelevant bits of personal commentary were definitely superfluous to the book; in general. It also seems to me that a more well-adjusted adult author of a science book could portray a dysfunctional parental relationship in a more appropriate manner, that didn't have you come across to the reader as deeply troubled from it...

The irrelevant personal commentary also extended to other subjects here that have nothing at all to do with the book. He's got a bunch of assorted leftist nonsense in here that betrays his partisan hand, and has him signaling his groupthink adherence to THE MESSAGE™. He's got many blurbs of writing feeling guilty about colonization; American, Spanish, and other assorted European varieties.
I also literally laughed out loud when he says "pregnant women" in the audio, but the book says "pregnant people." Pregnant "people??" The term "Latinx" is also dropped in here. Good Lord, this is all so tiresome...

Speaking of drugs and poison: Ideology is a hell of a drug...

********************

Fortunately, there was still a lot of interesting ground covered here, if you can get past the criticisms above. For this reason, I'll still give the book a decent rating.
3 stars.

[Raluca Oana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pot să spun că această carte a fost scrisă pentru mine.

Am făcut facultatea de biologie, în ideea în care o să învăț mai multe despre anatomia omului. Nu eram fan plante. Însă, odată cu facultatea, am ajuns să îndrăgesc plantele și să mă fascineze minunatele secrete pe care le poartă.

Această carte ar în prim plan toxinele produse de plante, care au atât beneficii asupra plantelor, dar și asupra noastră. De asemenea, și rolul lor toxic asupra erbivorelor care atacă plantele.

De la fenoli, alcaloizi, la cofeina, nicotină și multe altele.

O sumedenie de informații utile, care te-ar putea interesa 🫶🏻

Ce mi-a plăcut la această carte, a fost modul personal și cum a ajuns autorul să scrie această carte, și anume moartea tatălui său din cauza acestor toxine.

Merită citită 🫶🏻

[Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was maybe my favorite of the year. I love this kind of stuff, and I often found myself looking up the latest biochemistry research, and thinking about all the different molecular structures, and receptors, and well all the things. it's just interesting to note, how often nature has developed, the same types of defense mechanisms over and over .. Highly recommended book.

[Randall Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Whiteman didn't deliver. He trips over himself trying to mention his husband Shane so many times I wonder what the point was. He talks at length about his father's "Alcohol Use Disorder" which as far as I can tell is what we used to call alcoholism. The final straw was the three-page summation at the end where he kind of tries to make an environmental case for preserving the earth. I've heard better positions argued and supported in high-school debate class.

The thesis of the book is interesting. The writing is bad and the narrative even worse. Nobody cares about your husband or your father! Leave them out of your next book.

This is a heavily scientific story, there are illustrations of chemical molecules and detailed description of the extra-long names of many of the substances he discusses. The man clearly knows his stuff. What he doesn't know is how to tell an interesting story and how to keep the focus on his subject, instead of on his personal experiences and family stories, that truly add nothing to the narrative. Very disappointed overall with what started out to be a page-turning survey of botany and the wonderful and powerful chemicals that plants make. Maybe somebody can edify me and help me understand why this book has such good reviews.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most odd and intriguing books I have read in years! I'm trying to figure out how to capture its spirit in words, and I keep thinking about some of the madcap antics Alan Alda did in the show M*A*S*H while talking about a serious subject. This book is like rummaging around in a toybox of ideas, memories, flights of fancy, odd trivia about various animals and plants, and the core idea about toxins that can also be of value as medicines or spices for humans.

The author and I approached this book with our biases, his as an evolutionary biologist and mine as a dedicated Christian. On that level, we are polls apart. However, many of the ideas and rabbit trails are useful and helpful, and others provoke questions about how things work and how we want to live our lives. There is still much to learn here, even for people who disagree About how animals and plants came to be.

I am particularly delighted with how the author evokes all of the senses as he describes settings and places. I feel as if I can taste, here, and see what is around him, and it almost takes me to that place somehow. Most people only focus on one of their senses as they describe something. So I really want to give this author credit for working hard to make this a thoroughly sensory rich book.
That takes skill.

[Dakotah · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there were a lot of great facts I found the book was too all over the place and became hard to follow because the topics in the same chapter went on tangents that were unrelated. Also I understand the point he was trying to make about his father’s addiction, but it got old quick. Every chapter had some reference to dad’s alcoholism even if the toxin at hand did not have anything to do with alcoholism.

Also the entire afterward being less about the entire point of the book to explain toxins and more about how we are headed towards mass extinction was not well placed for the subject matter.

There were however some interesting facts that I will be taking home with me ☺️

[Jon Drucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. There are some great topics covered here but the author is not a very good writer and alternates between hyperfocusing on biochemical processes and going on personal tangents while promising repeatedly to get back to his point eventually. DNF.

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesantă, dar dificil de citit și de extras idei, dacă nu ai deja cunoștințe din domeniu.

[Emma McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This ended up being pretty boring because it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be: a popular level survey of everything this guy knew, technical chemistry book, memoir, or comprehensive history of substances. I like cross genre as much as the next person but good lord. Started skimming halfway through.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got a free copy from a Goodreads giveaway. I thought I was really going to like this, but the author spends way too much of the book talking about himself.

[noiprzeczytane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kawa poniekąd jest nieodłączaną częścią dnia dla wielu z nas, tu dowiecie się jak… pić ją lepiej 😉 dostaniecie cenne wskazówki (dlaczego lepiej używać filtrów papierowych zamiast metalowych - i co z kapsułkami?) będą także przytoczone badania - czy picie 3/4 filiżanek kawy dziennie wyjdzie nam na zdrowie? Czy podczas ciąży należy ograniczyć jej spożycie?

Książce tej nie można odmówić ciekawostek, anegdot oraz wielu historii wprowadzających do danego tematu. Autor już na samym początku informuje, że książka nie powstała z przypadku i pewne wydarzenie z jego życia popchnęło go w tą stronę. Tak naprawdę z autorem nie rozstajemy się po wstępie, razem z nami przechodzi przez każdy rozdział i opowiada - o swoim życiu, badaniach i tłumaczy dość wnikliwie niektóre procesy więc momentami jest to coś więcej niż reportaż.

To swojego rodzaju przewodnik po roślinach, substancjach oraz ich działaniu okraszonych historiami w tle.

Czy to książka dla każdego❓
Tak i nie. Tak, bo zawiera mnóstwo ciekawostek, które zdecydowanie są warte poznania. Styl autora zawiera często typowo chemiczno-biologiczny żargon, czasem dokładnie wytłumaczony jest dany proces co nie każdemu podejdzie.

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who loves to cook, when I saw this book at one of the libraries I belong to, I knew I would be fascinated by it. Noah Whiteman didn’t disappoint.

I will admit that I wish I had had more attention to give to this book. With the deadline of the due date approaching, I wasn’t able to really soak in all the information that Whiteman had to impart. I quite enjoyed how he talked about his father and his struggles with alcohol use disorder, as it made Whiteman’s more scholarly work more personal. It’s clear that Whiteman still has quite a bit of pain regarding his father, and I hope that ache eases as time goes on.

I also appreciated that Whiteman continued to make clear that a lot of these discoveries on how to use toxins in our cooking and our medicine originated with indigenous people, who had learned about the dangers and benefits of these substances over the years. Too often, modern scientists are given all the credit, when at least some is due to the indigenous people who discovered the appropriate uses many, many years ago.

This is a book I wouldn’t mind reading a second time, if for no other reason than to give it more of my full attention.

[Wendy Darling]

I wish the author wasn't narrating the audiobook, but perhaps I can get a hard copy sometime.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Delicious Poison was so packed with information that I read it twice. Wow!

[Mai H.]

Non-fiction November TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Spark

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins―From Spices to Vices” by Noah Whiteman is an intriguing look at how nature around us has created everything from poison, to medicine, to things we can’t live without (like coffee).

Whiteman is an evolutionary biologist, so “Poison” is mostly told from a scientific perspective. Whiteman includes not only the formal names and genus of plants and other living things, but there are well-done drawings that depict the chemical breakdowns of the popular compounds. That being said, this novel is uniquely creative and very informative, even for those non-science minds (like my own).

Whiteman’s main thesis throughout is that plants and fungi developed their special compounds (be it poison or medicine) long before humans walked the earth, so Whiteman focuses on how and why plants developed it for their own benefit (mostly, it’s for protection or reproduction). It’s a real eye opener for the human race in many ways- plants developed the various materials required to meet their own needs, and humans came along and found their own way to utilize them for their own uses.

Of course, you’ll hear about cyanide and the poisons we would most recognize, but then there are also the hallucinogens (like psylocibin), the healers (like penicillin) and of course, the must-haves that our addictive personalities seek out (like caffeine, nicotine or, the more serious, opioids). Plants, mushrooms, microbiomes and even some insects help to create all of these, and Whiteman ensures that he covers all the bases.

For readers who enjoy a scientific read that will help them understand the world around them from a grander perspective, “Poison” is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s not an easy read, and can be dense and full of scientific language and theories in parts, but it is thought-provoking. Whiteman was inspired to write this book after the death of his father as a result of alcoholism, so he uses this as a jumping off point (be prepared to hear about the opioid crisis, and other addictive chemicals, and the how’s and why’s of human addiction. This isn’t a bad thing, by any means, and in fact, was super enlightening).

Whiteman is not a medical doctor (and says so quite often, for good reason) but the research and theories he provides on various herbal cures (used in the past and today, in various forms) had me intrigued. Most importantly, Whiteman acknowledges the impact of human society on the planet, and recognizes the vital contributions Indigenous peoples have to our modern-day understanding and use of plants and fungi in our healing and hurting.

A highly recommended non-fiction read that will make you think and have you looking at the planet (and all the living things that it contains) in a different light.

[Dave Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins - From Spices to Vices," Noah Whiteman, an evolutionary biologist, delves into the origins, uses, and effects of natural toxins on humans and other animals. Inspired by his father's death from substance use disorder, Whiteman explores how various natural poisons, including psychedelics, nicotine, and opioids, have evolved and been utilized in both harmful and beneficial ways. The book highlights the dual nature of these toxins as both threats and remedies, emphasizing their role in medicine and everyday life. Whiteman's detailed and compelling narrative blends personal anecdotes with scientific research, offering a rich exploration of nature's biochemical arsenal.

Whiteman's investigation reveals that many of these toxins evolved as defense mechanisms in plants and animals, serving to ward off predators and competitors. For instance, monarch butterflies ingest milkweed toxins to deter predators, while rubber trees produce latex to protect against herbivores. He also discusses how certain substances, like caffeine and alcohol, have paradoxical effects: they can be both beneficial and harmful depending on the dosage.

The author emphasizes the significant contributions of Indigenous knowledge to modern medicine, noting that nearly half of today's drugs are derived from traditional healing practices. He highlights the evolutionary arms race between plants and their predators, illustrating how plants have developed toxic compounds to survive, which humans have harnessed for various purposes.

Whiteman also explores the cultural and historical impacts of these substances, including the role of spices in driving global trade and colonialism. He underscores the ongoing consequences of this legacy, such as biodiversity loss and climate change, while acknowledging the personal and societal struggles with addiction and substance abuse.

Throughout the book, Whiteman weaves in his own family's experiences, particularly his father's battle with alcohol addiction, providing a poignant backdrop to his scientific exploration. This blend of personal narrative and academic research makes "Most Delicious Poison" a compelling read for both general audiences and those with a deeper interest in biology and chemistry.

Five Highlights:

1. Origins and Evolution of Toxins: The book delves into how natural toxins evolved as defense mechanisms in plants and animals, using examples like milkweed in monarch butterflies and latex in rubber trees.

2. Dual Nature of Toxins: Whiteman explores the paradoxical nature of toxins such as caffeine and alcohol, which can be both beneficial and harmful depending on their usage and dosage.

3. Indigenous Contributions to Medicine: The book highlights the significant role of Indigenous knowledge in the development of modern drugs, with nearly 50% of contemporary medications originating from traditional healing practices.

4. Historical and Cultural Impact: Whiteman examines how the pursuit of spices and psychoactive substances has driven historical events, including European colonialism and global trade, leading to lasting geopolitical and environmental consequences.

5. Personal Connection to Addiction: The book adds a personal tone with Whiteman's personal reflections on his father's struggle with alcohol addiction, providing an intimate perspective on the broader scientific themes discussed.

We usually think of toxins as deadly, but this book shows how they can also be lifesaving and beneficial, depending on how they are used and their dosage.

[Aleksandra Gratka · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tylko dawka czyni truciznę" - chyba wszyscy znamy tę maksymę szwajcarskiego lekarza Paracelsusa. Idąc tym tropem, biolog ewolucyjny - Noah Whiteman - zabrał nas w podróż po świecie, w którym szczypta naprawdę robi różnicę, rośliny są mądrzejsze niż myślimy, a biologii blisko do historii i literatury.

"Przepyszne trucizny" to książka popularnonaukowa, która obfituje w fakty, terminy, ciekawostki i odniesienia do prywatnego życia autora. Bo to nałóg ojca stał się przyczynkiem do badań nad substancjami psychoaktywnymi i nad tym, co sprawia, że ludzie się uzależniają.

Z zainteresowaniem czytałam o orangutanach leczących skórę papką z draceny, o perfumowanych rękawiczkach Katarzyny Medycejskiej, o pierwszym zastosowaniu aspiryny. O taninie w alkoholu czytałam pijąc wino, a informacja, że kwas taninowy wykorzystywano przy lewatywach uczynił degustację specyficzną. Śledziłam opowieść o roślinach, które w toku ewolucji zyskały umiejętność wytwarzania substancji, które służą manipulowaniu ciałami i umysłami zwierząt z ludźmi włącznie. Wiedziałam, że sok grejpfrutowy i leki to złe połączenie, ale że sok z limonki, skóra i słońce też, to niekoniecznie. Dowiedziałam się, że przyjemność ze spacerów po lesie to zasługa związków chemicznych, a obcowanie z nimi nosi nazwę shinrin-yoku, czyli kąpiele leśne. Dorzucę jeszcze trujące motyle, muchy plujki, wyciąg z ropuszych gruczołów, "oddech diabła" i przyprawy, na które nigdy już nie spojrzę tak jak dawniej...
Sporo tu wiedzy podanej w przystępny sposób.
Warto.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the poisons that make our homes look prettier to the ones that help us give birth and even the ones we are addicted to and should stay away from it’s no secret that poisons or a daily part of our life and in this book Most Delicious Poisons by Noah Whiteman we learn all about them but more than just an academic tone about poisons and bareffects Wiget a book that reads like a letter to her friend with funny antidotes treasured memories and lots of interesting a fax that most people could never imagine I know I couldn’t. This book is so interesting and I learned so much from it especially about the monarch butterfly and what it has in common with preeclampsia and so much more I just love this book and really enjoyed it. Anyone who has a passing infatuation with useless information and useful will love this book. It is not your grandpa‘s books about poison. I want to think Little Brown and Company and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Remostyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect pop science book. Flawless, really.

First things first, this book strikes the perfect balance between being accessible to layman reader and still being very informative at the same time. This is a very common issue for nonfiction, particularly for popular science, they are either simply not for the average reader or they read like they’re intended for young adults/teens. So, this one having the perfect balance is a huge plus in my book.

Secondly, I really liked that there’s a clear narrative here. Some nonfiction just bombards you with information and that more often than not makes a terrible reading experience. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a very dense book in terms of the information presented throughout but the way it’s conveyed makes a huge positive difference.

Next, I thought the author did a great job at incorporating their personal story about the subject into the main narrative. It really enhanced the experience.

Overall, definitely one of my favourite reads this year. Highly highly recommended, even if you’re remotely interested in the subject.

[Dr. Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice personalized description of natural products used by humans for multiple purposes. Could have emphasized the importance of dose and duration on toxicity more but enjoyable and entertaining collection of historical uses of xenobiotics. Science discussed is sound. Lots of historical references. Well written.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of these pop science type books, and found this one to be a lot more in depth than most- my snoozing through high school biology certainly didn’t help here. Much interesting material to be found and I appreciated that the author made it clear what was speculative and what was more established, there wasn’t the reach for the ‘just so’ story that a lot of these books fall into. Some other reviewers seem to have not liked the incorporation of his own personal story but I found it to be touching and consistently relevant to the material at hand. I would read more from this author.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at many of the things we add to our food, our medicine, and I guess our poisons, and how pretty much all of them started out as a natural pesticide. Trigger warning for substance abuse disorders and deaths, but told in respectful way.

[Marta (bookishly.awkward) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[PL] Niektóre rzeczy były naprawdę ciekawe, ale jak dla mnie trochę zbyt ogólne podejście do tematu i nieco niezręcznie napisany tekst.

[EN] Some facts were super interesting but for me it was a too general approach to the topic and the text was written awkwardly.

[Asher Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting pop sci, loved how author really made his science interdisciplinary and applied it to history and all our daily lives. A bit wordy, yet also choppy writing, at times and the last section on geopolitical world history was a bit of reach but overall would def recommend!

[Jil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much memoir, not enough science.