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jadeprnc3's review
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
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
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
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
kssntigger's review against another edition
informative
reflective
4.5
I really love the scientific approach Dr. Simard took when describing the symbiotic relationship between fir and birch trees and various types of fungi. It was really interesting to hear her discussion of how trees communicate beyond competition as previously thought and how the mother tree recognizes her kin.
char_co's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
3.75
secondhandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A beautiful book, a scientific backing to what people have known in their hearts for eons; the forest is a community. Thriving and living and moving and growing as one, each part equally dependent on the other. A worthwhile read by every metric.