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Reviews
Finding the Mother Tree: Uncovering the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Forest by Suzanne Simard
jessisafrog's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
graciegrace1178's review against another edition
4.0
Had this book been around for me to read in 2019, I think it would've been an all-time fav. As it is though, I actually knew a fair amount about the concepts already. It wasn't quite as mind-blowing as I'd hoped, but that's not because the science isn't awesome, just because I already knew it. Simard is BRILLIANT, and this book is absolutely worth a read for anyone interested in forestry, mycology, or sustainable agricultural futures.
PT: intersection of art and science book list, science books, memoirs, forestry reads
WIL
1) BI WOMEN IN SCIENCE REPRESENTATION!! HOLY S M O K E S THAT'S SO SO RARE! (For anyone following my notes, that's what that one note with all the exclamation points in hearts was about. I am STILL YELLING!!!!!!!)
2) the science. My GOODNESS HEAVENS the science here is SO thorough. I think it makes for a difficult read for anyone who's not involved in forestry in some way or another, but WOWZA is it well done. This is top-tier science and I was FLOORED and MAD impressed.
3) Weaving art and science together. I'm swooning and sighing because THIS is SUCH a fantastic representation of a story that weaves together humanities and life and science all into one narrative that ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE. Simard's connections between science and her own life are clear and comprehensible. The reader can clearly follow her logic in the parallels without feeling patronized or like she's speaking down to us.
4) TREES! N I C E
5) Mycorrizhae studies. I've been a fan of mycorrhizal networks since I studied Korean Natural Farming back in '19. It is ENDLESSLY fascinating and so much still remains to be understood about this mysterious aspect of forests. This book gives the networks the attention they DESERVE and NEED. Absolutely delighted that finally, people are talking about it more. THANK YOU, SIMARD, FOR ALL THE AMAZIN WORK YOU'VE DONE AND FOR THIS AWESOME EDUCATION/OUTREACH LITERATURE.
6) Related to 2 butTHE METHODOLOGY IN HERE? GENIUS. Using C13 and C14 o investigate the communication bt trees is BRILLIANT. Honestly, that is SUCH a clever solution and one I'd never thought to consider in environmental tracing. 13/10!!!
WIDL
1) I think the science could've been presented in a slightly more accessible fashion. I was expecting more of a public-friendly book, and this was a lot higher level than that. There's nothing wrong with high level, but I think books on something as new (to the public consciousness) as mycorrhizal networks should be cognizant of the fact that the average reader probably doesn't have a ton of forestry background.
PT: intersection of art and science book list, science books, memoirs, forestry reads
WIL
1) BI WOMEN IN SCIENCE REPRESENTATION!! HOLY S M O K E S THAT'S SO SO RARE! (For anyone following my notes, that's what that one note with all the exclamation points in hearts was about. I am STILL YELLING!!!!!!!)
2) the science. My GOODNESS HEAVENS the science here is SO thorough. I think it makes for a difficult read for anyone who's not involved in forestry in some way or another, but WOWZA is it well done. This is top-tier science and I was FLOORED and MAD impressed.
3) Weaving art and science together. I'm swooning and sighing because THIS is SUCH a fantastic representation of a story that weaves together humanities and life and science all into one narrative that ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE. Simard's connections between science and her own life are clear and comprehensible. The reader can clearly follow her logic in the parallels without feeling patronized or like she's speaking down to us.
4) TREES! N I C E
5) Mycorrizhae studies. I've been a fan of mycorrhizal networks since I studied Korean Natural Farming back in '19. It is ENDLESSLY fascinating and so much still remains to be understood about this mysterious aspect of forests. This book gives the networks the attention they DESERVE and NEED. Absolutely delighted that finally, people are talking about it more. THANK YOU, SIMARD, FOR ALL THE AMAZIN WORK YOU'VE DONE AND FOR THIS AWESOME EDUCATION/OUTREACH LITERATURE.
6) Related to 2 butTHE METHODOLOGY IN HERE? GENIUS. Using C13 and C14 o investigate the communication bt trees is BRILLIANT. Honestly, that is SUCH a clever solution and one I'd never thought to consider in environmental tracing. 13/10!!!
WIDL
1) I think the science could've been presented in a slightly more accessible fashion. I was expecting more of a public-friendly book, and this was a lot higher level than that. There's nothing wrong with high level, but I think books on something as new (to the public consciousness) as mycorrhizal networks should be cognizant of the fact that the average reader probably doesn't have a ton of forestry background.
jadeprnc3's review against another edition
4.0
The book was really interesting and had an engaging narrative but the writing can be science heavy and detail oriented at times that make it feel like an academic paper juxtaposed between personal narrative writing. This style made it really difficult for me to try to get through so I alternated between reading and listening to it on audio book. It was a good follow up book to other books that have come out recently about mycorrhizal fungi networks in forests but I would not recommend it to someone who is trying to learn about those concepts for the first time. For someone actively engaged in academic work relating to that subject though I think it is fantastic, and the narrative pieces highlight some of the history and controversy on forestry management as well as the experiences of a female scientists during emerging policy changes among forestry management practices.
anteus7's review against another edition
5.0
I learned so much from reading this book. Forests are so much more connected than I ever knew. I knew that certain species of trees, such as birch, connect underground via roots to share resources like water and nutrients, but forest plant life reciprocity goes much deeper than that and crosses species boundaries in ways that are similar to how we nurture our own communities.
I was blown away. I read Richard Powers's Overstory and learned about how connected trees of the same species are to each other, even miles away from one another, and of how integral trees, especially older trees, are to their environments, how many different things rely on them for survival, but Simard's stories about her research, the experiments she designed and performed, are changing how I view trees. That leads me to think differently about how we are using and should use our natural resources--wood being one of them.
This makes me want to learn more about mycorrhizal fungi. I'm glad that Simard provided a bibliography of a kind in her book!
I was blown away. I read Richard Powers's Overstory and learned about how connected trees of the same species are to each other, even miles away from one another, and of how integral trees, especially older trees, are to their environments, how many different things rely on them for survival, but Simard's stories about her research, the experiments she designed and performed, are changing how I view trees. That leads me to think differently about how we are using and should use our natural resources--wood being one of them.
This makes me want to learn more about mycorrhizal fungi. I'm glad that Simard provided a bibliography of a kind in her book!
rreolfi's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
The author intertwined her life story with the evolution of her research in an interesting way, so by the end I learned about her findings as well as the life experiences that led her to those breakthroughs.
jmeyer255's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
As an environmentalist and fellow woman pursuing a conservation career, I found this book to be very inspiring and eye opening! To learn about the nitty gritty of forest communities and how trees support each other through fungal networks so so fascinating. And I also appreciated the focus on feminism and combating large scale corporations with science. All this being said, it did take me a year and a half to get around to finishing this book, just because some of the technical chapters lost me, and felt a bit like I was reading an academic paper. I would still recommend to all interested in trees and environmentalism though!
mellowhello's review against another edition
4.25
Overall I really enjoyed this and learning about the journey not only to learn about the symbiosis between species but also to convince other scientists of it. I would not recommend reading just about the whole book in one day right before it’s due to the library; I felt like I was rushed and it’s somewhat dense, so I would’ve liked more time to absorb everything.
Minor nitpick - there are a couple of parts that make me think she’s the type of environmentalist who thinks cities and nature are incompatible and that’s a bummer, because cities are better for nature as long as everyone isn’t driving cars, but that’s mostly me being a crank
Minor nitpick - there are a couple of parts that make me think she’s the type of environmentalist who thinks cities and nature are incompatible and that’s a bummer, because cities are better for nature as long as everyone isn’t driving cars, but that’s mostly me being a crank