Michael Pollan, "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

Pollan, Michael, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Penguin Press: New York, New York, 2006.
In succinct terms, this book is all about the way that we eat. An examination of where our food comes from, how it is made, and how it wends its way from the farm to dinner plate, The Omnivore’s Dilemma is a crafted look at the ways that modern society has created a system to produce food on an immense scale, both organic and non, and also those producers and farmers who still practice the art of farming on intimate terms. Michael Pollan tours a massive feedlot packed with thousands of steers, followed by a walk around a small farm that engages in sustainable practices, and has built up a customer base and profits through the production of quality food. He praises the ideal of organic agriculture, while also pointing out that its recent popularity has led some organic producers to practice industrial agriculture on massive scales. While incredibly fascinating, informative, and balanced, Pollan’s book helps to answer why people find organic food worth the additional premium over conventional produce. And when one answers that question, does it become apparent why agricultural magazines would find it worthwhile to cover organic agriculture in a positive light: there’s money to be made. However, under the influence of the agrichemical industry that subsidizes most of those magazines through advertising, the potential of organic farming may be mitigated or dismissed entirely. So when a book comes along such as Pollan’s, the possibility exists that organic agriculture may become more accepted across all fronts, even as it is now a part of the mainstream of popular culture.