Second Nature Book Review

Jacob Schneider

April 1, 2013

Pollan, Michael, 1991, Second Nature, The Grove Press, 258.

Overall I thought that this book was mediocre. I thought the book was written very well however I didn’t exactly enjoy the topic about which the book was written, gardening. I would recommend Second Nature to people who have a passion for gardening or want to learn more about gardening theory. The book started out with an introduction where Pollan described his background and family history with nature. After the introduction the book was divided into four sections; spring, summer, fall and winter. Throughout the book Pollan seemed to go off on some tangents but as a whole the book was fairly easy to follow.

The introduction of the book talks about Pollans’ background and family history with nature. He recalls his grandfathers’ garden and how he meticulously cared for it,, making sure that no weed grew in the garden. He then recalls how his father was very different in the fact that his suburban home had a yard that was overgrown because he refused to mow it. In the section “Spring” the author tells a story about him and his wife buying a house. When they moved into the house Pollan had an overwhelming desire to garden once again. He also talks about compose and how that lead to the introduction of chemical fertilizers.

In the section “Summer” Pollan talks about the creation of the natural garden where he experimented with his garden over a few seasons. The first season was a typical garden, weed-less and planted with care in rows. The second season he decided not to pull weeds and sowed the seeds randomly. The third garden season his garden was taken over by weeds. He eventually comes to agree that a middle ground is best.

In the “Fall” section the author talks about the end of the growing season. This is the time where the plants are being harvested and change colors. He notes the never ending battle between gardeners and nature. He notes that nature is always the...