Naomi Young's Reviews > Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us

This is a confused book. It doesn't know whether to be a documentary, a tribute, a confession, or an exposé. Perhaps that's because caffeine is a confusing drug. Today, it's legal and ubiquitous; but had it just been discovered last week, it would NEVER be an over-the-counter med, much less the secret ingredient in dang near everything. The author takes several "caffeine delivery systems" through production, and gives an overview of regulatory attempts and complaints from Europe in the Medieval period up through the Four Loko controversy.

I did find the chapter describing conditions in Chinese caffeine-synthesizing plants to be disgusting, yet I know I won't be avoiding caffeine-boosted foods and supplements in future.

Knocking off a couple of stars because it IS a high-level overview, and Carpenter didn't follow some of the tangents I thought important. I'm surprised to see so many reviews that call it dully written -- perhaps the author's wit is too dry for their palates?