Alumnus and Renowned Author Michael Pollan's New Book Explores the Origins of Our Meals

The latest book by Michael Pollan '76, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals begins with a simple question, "How did we ever get to a point where we need investigative journalists to tell us where our food comes from and nutritionists to determine the dinner menu?" What follows is anything but simple as Pollan tours readers through the origins of four meals from McDonald's, to Whole Foods, to a self-sustaining farm, and finally a "hunter-gather's" entree.

Pollan—a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and author of: The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World; A Place of My Own; and Second Nature—has made a name for himself captivating audiences craving a transparent context for their food. The Omnivore's Dilemma has left readers entirely satisfied having received a spectrum of glowing reviews ranging from The New York Times to The Boston Globe to the New Yorker. The New York Times Book Review writes, "[Pollan's] super meticulous reporting is the book's strength—you're not likely to get a better explanation of exactly where your food comes from."

Pollan is the Knight Professor of Journalism and director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkley's Graduate School. His writing has won numerous awards, including the Reuters/World Conservation Union Global Award in Environmental Journalism, the James Beard Award, and the Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States.

To learn more about his work, click here to access the April 11, 2006 Fresh Air with Terry Gross' interview with Michael Pollan.