In his 2026 book A World Appears, bestselling author Michael Pollan takes readers into one of the deepest and most enduring mysteries of human life: the fact that it feels like something to be us.

Blending science reporting, philosophy, literature, and personal inquiry, Pollan traces the evolving effort to understand consciousness, not just as a function of the brain, but as a lived, subjective experience. He brings readers to the frontiers of neuroscience, psychology, and speculative science, introducing researchers who are questioning long-held assumptions about where consciousness arises and how widely it might exist. Along the way, Pollan explores radical and emerging ideas: from plant intelligence to artificial consciousness, from altered states to the everyday “stream” of awareness we move through without noticing.

This book club will take place on April 27, 2026, from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm (PT) and May 4, 2026, from 11:00 am –12:00 noon (PT). Sessions will be held via Zoom, and recordings will be available for registrants who are unable to attend live. To participate, please be sure to have your own copy of  A World Appears Order your copy today.