About book A Place Of My Own: The Education Of An Amateur Builder (1998)
I'll preface this review by mentioning that I have (or at least had) little to no interest in carpentry, woodworking, or even architecture. After having read the book, I can say that I seriously doubt people of those professions were in his target audience, though much of the content obviously falls within those areas. I think it aims a little more directly at those contemplating picking up a new hobby, though it's aiming with a shotgun rather than a rifle. Personally, I picked the book up simply because I love Pollan's writing - not only his style, but also the way he draws so much else into the conversation. And my word choice there was deliberate, as his tone is far more conversational than anything else. Checking out some of the reviews on Amazon, though, it's apparent that his writing isn't universally loved. Yes, he uses "complicated" sentence structures, and yes, he has an extensive vocabulary. Most authors do. I had to look up a dozen or so words over the course of the 300 pages(obstreperous?) but I like having to do that (as long as it's not too often) and never until I read those reviews did I even notice the extensive sentences. It just flows that well, as any good writing does. If you take the time to read the review that attempts to parody Pollan's style (and downgrades the book because of it), you'll understand why the reviewer had such a difficult time with the book. I'm no literature snob, but hyphens and semicolons really aren't that complicated.Here's a passage that the reviewer I mention above probably hated, but I enjoyed enough to quote (obviously):"I remember as a teenager reading that Marshall McLuhan had likened opening the Sunday paper to settling into a warm bath. The metaphor delivered a tiny jolt of recognition, because I too found reading - reading almost anything - to be a vaguely sensual, slightly indulgent pleasure, and one that had very little to do with the acquisition of information. Rather than a means to an end, the deep piles of words on the page comprised for me a kind of soothing environment, a plush cushion into which sometimes I could barely wait to sink my head. More often than not, I could remember almost nothing the moment I lifted myself out of the newspaper or magazine or paperback in which I'd been immersed. Not that I usually bothered to try. Mostly I just let the print wash over me, as if it were indeed warm water, destined to swirl down the drain of my forgetfulness."And this from a book about building a one-room house in the woods.The references and discussions in this book range from Frank Lloyd Wright to Plato, from Thoreau to Ayn Rand and Thomas Jefferson and feng shui exercises involving running downhill in imitation of water. In my opinion, Pollan accomplishes all this without sounding pretentious, but I guess I can see how his latitude could be seen that way. I have Walden and The Fountainhead sitting on my to-read pile, but I still understood and appreciated the references. If anything, they only made me more motivated to read the original sources. And that last sentence could summarize my entire review for this book. Pollan's writing encourages and rewards reading, and this is an excellent example of it. He delves into plenty of material related to what the title suggests, but those weren't the highlights for me. Maybe I'll continue this review at another time to touch on those aspects, but I'm sure other people have already done so.
The ultimate diy might just be the construction of a shelter, which Michael Pollan writes compellingly about in A Place of My Own. Being somewhat more accustomed to the tools of pen and The Chicago Manual of Style than to a hammer and nail at the start of his project, he was somewhat apprehensive about his sudden compulsion to build himself a treehouse-library in the woods up the hill from his home. We can see what the studio did for his work: The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, two of his more well-known works, were written after its construction. Pollan treats his subjects with extreme scrutiny, surprising you with the depth of his research; in choosing the site for his building he referenced everyone from Vitruvius in the first century B.C. to the Romantic painters of the 18th century. Most interesting was how his examination of construction carried over universally to all crafts; especially relevant seemed the bit where he described how a wordsmith like himself could be overcome by a desire to make a structure with his own hands to cure the ‘sense of living at too great a remove from the things of this world…’. He soon realizes that this notion is a bit romantic, especially as he doesn’t quite know how to hold a hammer, but like most of us who have made something he perseveres and the resulting studio (and book) is well worth the effort.
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My father-in-law is a prolific reader and doesn't seem to mind the length or breadth of any subject. So when he told me he found this book to be a bit wordy, I knew I was in for a bit of a marathon when I picked it up. As much as I have enjoyed Pollan's other books ( Omnivore's Dilemmna and Botany of Desire), I did find this one to be a bit winded and in need of a good editor to cut out about 60 pages. Perhaps if I had approached the book as a condensed history of architecture, I wouldn't have been as surprised by the dryness of the content.That all being said, I did find a quote by Ruskin that resonated with me. No good work what ever can be perfect, and the demand for perfection is always a sign of a misunderstanding of the ends of art.My goal each time I sit down to sew a quilt is perfection, as taught to me by my mother. Any error along the way, lends itself to sometimes major flaws at the end (as I have experienced oft times myself). But what I am often drawn to in quilts of ole, are the slight flaws; the evidence that a human hand created that piece of art. So while I still strive for perfection each time I sit down to sew, I am better at embracing my imperfections knowing that I am actually trying to create a piece of art; evidence of an imperfect human trying to create something beautiful.
—Sarah
Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma" played a big role in my adopting a vegetarian diet. So, will reading this book end with me building a shack in the woods somewhere?
—Ryan
It took me a bit longer to come back and review this. I adore Michael Pollan. Sometimes he comes across as a bit too foodie-East Coast-hipster, but his writing and perspectives keep pulling me back. His writing all seems to contain the same germ or basic theme. Whether he is writing about food, gardening, cooking, or building a house/writing room, Pollan gravitates towards simplicity and sustainability. It is like having a quirky, Jewish Zen-master show you how to build a house or cook a meal.'A Place of My Own' is an early Pollan book where he relates his experiences building a writing shed, a small backyard 104-square-foot outbuilding where he can dream, escape, imagine and write. It is part: A Room of One's Own + Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + Walden + Shop Class as Soulcraft. Pollen is looking at the value of solitude, space, work, nature, etc., in a modern technological age.Pollan is the Jenna Jameson of hipster porn. I WANT to build my own cabin on family land in Idaho. I want to buy all my food in local, Saturday neighborhood markets. I want to tramp around the woods looking for mushrooms and figure out a way to feed my family in a sustainable and healthy way EVERYDAY. But most days reality just sits on me and I grab some canned crap from Walmart, maybe get my veggies from Sprouts and Fresh and Easy (or as my wife calls it Cheap and Sleazy) and go back to my suburban tract home. Pollen gives me room to fantasize about what part of my brain wants to, but isn't totally able to do -- escape, simplify, and double down on the urban, lumbersexual hipster hiding inside of me. I can't build a small outdoor cabin in my backyard, but I can fantasize about it for a couple hours while I read Pollan in the dark. And maybe, one day, I can pick up that hammer, eat that shroom, and start BANGIN'.___________________- Robert Farwell / Edward Jones library / Mesa, AZ 2014
—Darwin8u
