Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael PollanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A thoroughly enjoyable read - I only wish it were longer.
Who could have guessed that a secondary metabolite produced by plants to poison insects would end up enslaving most of humanity to their morning cup of rise and shine? If the chemical that helps us all face the world is a product of a clever plant that is trying not to get eaten by other things, it also begs the question - are plants using us in this relationship or are we using them? Have we all been duped into our dominated state by ... plants? .
These are the kinds of compelling perspectives Pollan puts forth as he examines the coffee bean, the history of coffee production, and our intractable dependence on trimethylxanthine.
His writing is spry (as always) and his insights are potent. You might even think twice about continuing with caffeine. Although the central purpose of this book is not to persuade people to give up coffee, facts are facts. It will cross your mind.
I will leave you with this quote on adenosine, the current focus of my research, and the reason I read this book:
"Caffeine consumption is simply hiding or postponing our exhaustion by blocking the action of adenosine. As the liver removes the caffeine from circulation, the dam holding back all that pent-up, still-mounting adenosine will break, and when the rebounding chemical floods the brain, you will crash, feeling even more tired than you did before that first cup of coffee. So what will you do then? Probably have another cup.
Yup. Heavy sigh.
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