A review by emilyctrigg
What a Mushroom Lives for: Matsutake and the Worlds They Make by Michael J. Hathaway
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced audio copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
What a mushroom lives for is about the matsutake mushroom and the impact it has had on the mushroom trade in general, as well as the communities that forage for this mushroom.
Parts of this book were really interesting. I enjoyed the parts about the communities that build their lives around foraging for the matsutake, but these parts of he book didn't make up nearly as much of the book as I wanted them to.
Honestly, my biggest problem with this title was the author's attitude about plants, animals, and fungi. He calls the matsutake "a world maker" and seems to genuinely believe that all plants/animals/fungi have agency. Obviously, different types of intelligence exist, but plants and fungi don't have brains! It was so weird to me that he was basically saying that we should think about fungi and plants on the same level as people. It was really off-putting and it felt preachy. This book was meant to be able the matsutake and their impact on the world. But really it was about Hathaway telling us how we are wrong in thinking that fungi are less important than people.
What a mushroom lives for is about the matsutake mushroom and the impact it has had on the mushroom trade in general, as well as the communities that forage for this mushroom.
Parts of this book were really interesting. I enjoyed the parts about the communities that build their lives around foraging for the matsutake, but these parts of he book didn't make up nearly as much of the book as I wanted them to.
Honestly, my biggest problem with this title was the author's attitude about plants, animals, and fungi. He calls the matsutake "a world maker" and seems to genuinely believe that all plants/animals/fungi have agency. Obviously, different types of intelligence exist, but plants and fungi don't have brains! It was so weird to me that he was basically saying that we should think about fungi and plants on the same level as people. It was really off-putting and it felt preachy. This book was meant to be able the matsutake and their impact on the world. But really it was about Hathaway telling us how we are wrong in thinking that fungi are less important than people.