I found this book to be a fantastic blend of the science of forests’ interconnectedness, combined with stories of the author’s life and family history in the deep forests of British Columbia.
When I first heard of this book and its title, I assumed it would be pretty wu-wu. What it turned out to be was a heart-felt memoir by a scientist about how they turned their intuition about the forest as a child into some nobel-prize-deserving discoveries.
The book opens with the most appetizing mouth-watering descriptions of dirt -- the "good" dirt is called humus, and the literary feat of making me feel like I missed out in my childhood for avoiding mushroomy loamy dirt allowed the author quite a bit of running room as she described her early years. Getting into the discoveries themselves and going up against a logging-industry intoxicated national service was wonderful.
Part ecological study, and part autobiography, this is a beautiful, heartfelt, vital book.
Essential.
Suzanne Simard is one of the most important figures in 21st Century forest science. She has presented a way of observing and understanding forests that has gradually shifted western thought on the relationship between trees, fungi, and other organisms.
This book is presented as an autobiography, traversing Simard's life. The stories, particularly those of adversity where she struggled to have her radical ideas accepted in forestry and scientific communities, are brilliantly told and very compelling. Soome of the writing feels over-coached and as a result doesn't come across as genuine as Simard usually is. Still, the experiments and discoveries are thrilling and brilliantly told as a complete story that makes for a fantastic book.
