A really enjoyable and educational microhistory about seeds that I picked up at the library based on the cover. I'm glad I did! The author did an excellent job of presenting scientific information in ways that are enriching and educational. The science is there, but a PhD is not necessary to parse through it. Nor is it dumbed down! I didn't feel patronized at all. Instead, the author taught in the best way there is - conversationally, using real-life examples, including stories about his family and friends and his own experiences, in order to make the science more readily comprehensible.

I thought my favorite chapter would be the one on coffee/caffeine, as an acknowledged coffee superfan. And it was a wonderful chapter, but surprisingly, my favorite was the chapter on chili peppers! As anyone can tell you, I have zero tolerance for spice and go out of my way to avoid it at all costs, but apparently reading about them is a different story. ^_^

I think this book was good, but the way it was laid out made the information seem a little scattered. I think the information itself was great and interesting, but it wasn't weaved together as cohesively as I would have liked. Hanson tried to combine both scientific information with personal and historical stories and I don't think it was done as well as it could have been. With that being said I think anyone who wants to learn more about the function, use, and history of seeds in our world would benefit from reading this. I certainly learned a lot from it.

I loved this book for its lyricism and its (pardon the pun) digestibility. As a long time gardener I appreciated the reminder of why I'm invested in seeds and plants.

I didn't love this book for its blatant side stepping of important topics related to seeds, especially with whole chapters on coffee and cotton. While he did recognize the horrific impact of the cotton boom on enslaved people in North America, and especially Southern USA states, I thought the topics of slavery and colonialism were owed more. It held up figures like Columbus without addressing the negatives of their legacy.

I was really excited about this one, thinking it would be more about the history of how seeds spread, the trade in seeds, revolutions in genetic engineering and cultivation, but it was moreso focused on how seeds work. While I took some interesting parts away from this, I found the author digressed a lot into personal accounts that I didn't find super interesting. The narrative didn't really pull me in at all but, seeds are still cool!

Overall it was fine, but the author made a weird comment about Indigenous people being inferior to Europeans and susceptible to colonization bc the foods they ate were lower quality?? Idk maybe I misunderstood that passage, but it just put a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the book. Also the author romanticizes Columbus A LOT which is super gross.

Interesting read!

This was so interesting and so charming! I wasn’t sure what to expect and I think that was good. If you’d like to be moved to tears by a story about brave botanists defending their seeds, or awed by cotton seeds laying across the ocean, this is the book for you.

Vastly entertaining, this book takes you around the world and still manages to circle back again. Covering everything from seed wings to seed lunches, Hanson manages both a lively and fascinating discussion without getting bogged down scientific talk. A great read for botanists and black thumbs alike!