Michael Pollan's Book to be Required Reading at Washington State University After All
Looks like freshman at Washington State University will have to crack Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma after all. Last week we reported on the controversy that had the local food politics community ready to mount the barricades: Citing cost of both the 4,000 books and an unspecified speaker's fee for Pollan, the northern uni scrapped plans to put the Berkeley author's anti-big-ag bestseller on the required reading list for freshmen. Progressives smelled a rat, suspecting the school's reluctance to offend big-money agribusiness interests, whose support of the institution is key.
Pollan's book: Un-banned
But according to Grist this morning (citing the Chronicle of Higher Education), a savior has stepped in: Seattle food safety lawyer and WSU alum Bill Marler, who agreed to bankroll not only Pollan's fee but underwrite the cost of the books. Late yesterday, Marler twittered the news that The Omnivore's Dilemma and Pollan would be making an appearance at WSU. So far, it looks like a happy ending for everyone but Big Ag.
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