Review: A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder

A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder by Michael Pollan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Michael Pollan dreamed of a small building on his property that he could go to in solitude and read and write. Just a place of his own with a nice view that added to his property and didn't seem like an out building plopped up in the backyard. A Place of My Own is about those couple of years that he spent with his friend, an architect, and a contractor / carpenter, bringing his dream to life. He really wanted something that he could easily enough build himself, but he soon found that he needed some help. So much more went into creating his "simple vision", but what he was left with was exactly what he wanted and needed.

I've read Pollan's Food Rules and enjoy his straight talk with a little sarcastic humor. I think many people can relate to wanting to build a dream home or some dream space to call their own. This book is a reminder that you sometimes have to work hard for your dreams and that they may not always be as easy as you think. If you ever plan to build, you may want to peruse this book. I will say that at times he got long winded on architectural theories and ideals, but loved the underlying sense of humor he uses.

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