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A review by emilieonthemove
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health by Anne Biklé, David R. Montgomery
5.0
So we hear we should eat organic, take probiotics, eat less meat, eat our vegetables... but why and how exactly will this improve our health? Isn't it all just another a trend? And why is organic farming and no-tillage agriculture better than chemical fertilizers? And why is "conventional" farming so entrenched in our culture?
If you've ever wondered about any of questions, this book is for you. It is definitely dense for non-biologists, like myself, but fascinating. The way the book is put together keeps it engaging and moving forward; the authors combine their personal experiences with gardening and cancer to lay the groundwork for their research. Then, they provide ample information on the history of different scientific discoveries and how they've shaped prevailing schools of thought in agriculture and medicine over the past several centuries. These history lessons are interspersed with biology lessons relevant to agriculture and human health, particularly related to our immune and digestive systems. All together, the book is an intricately woven tale revealing how soil's microbiology and a plant's root system mirror what we eat and how our body processes it. Mind. Blown.
If you've ever wondered about any of questions, this book is for you. It is definitely dense for non-biologists, like myself, but fascinating. The way the book is put together keeps it engaging and moving forward; the authors combine their personal experiences with gardening and cancer to lay the groundwork for their research. Then, they provide ample information on the history of different scientific discoveries and how they've shaped prevailing schools of thought in agriculture and medicine over the past several centuries. These history lessons are interspersed with biology lessons relevant to agriculture and human health, particularly related to our immune and digestive systems. All together, the book is an intricately woven tale revealing how soil's microbiology and a plant's root system mirror what we eat and how our body processes it. Mind. Blown.