The Omnivore's Dilemma

Pollan is known for his use of immersive journalism to provide a thorough and first-person approach to his topics of study. Pollan’s 1991 debut Second Nature describes the author’s experiences designing and tending to a garden at his home. His second major work, A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder, presents Pollan’s experiences building a small writing cabin on his property. As he builds the small structure, Pollan dives deeply into architectural theory and design. Later works, such as This is Your Mind on Plants and How to Change Your Mind, focus on the topics of psychedelics, caffeine, marijuana, and opium. In his research, Pollan pursues firsthand experiences with each mind-altering drug to better understand its effects and its role in human health and culture. His first-person accounts lend interest and legitimacy to his research, enveloping nonfiction in a personal narrative.

Pollan’s immersive journalism is present throughout The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Although Pollan frames the book within four meals that he consumes, which symbolize three approaches to eating, his immersive work goes far beyond the fork. Pollan describes experiences driving a tractor and purchasing a steer. In Part II, the journalist bemoans his aching muscles after a day of putting up hay.