okay so what is this book really about? well the title really actually gives the reader everything already becasue what cold get more simpler than "chemcials as friends and foes"? seriously,the book was kind of similar to "the hundred year lie" writeen by Randall Fitzgerald, however i think this book goes into detail just a little more. even more than the stuff in the "hundred year lie", the poison paradox is like all the foods that people eat and the itty bitty stuff people never knew about them before stuff. its pretty amazing. some things i did know before, but like theres a greater thing that is added to the book that makes it more like interesting and kind of more dificult to read.