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asriram's review against another edition
2.0
I think what I’ve realized is that memoirs aren’t for me, but this book dragged. I didn’t find the author’s struggles particularly interesting for the first two segments of the book, and while the second and third part became progressively more interesting and well paced, it felt like a chore to get through this book.
lesbiangrandpa's review against another edition
5.0
Trees have done so much for us!!!! (RE: bridge to Mars)
vnessreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
bookhound's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A memoir full of awe, humor, hard work, oddity, and vulnerability. I loved the sections explaining how trees grow - they are so beautifully rendered. The wild personal stories with her lab partner remind me a lot of a college friend (who was also manic depressive), pulling all-nighters and other extreme behaviors. This is Annie Dillard + Brain on Fire + motherhood. It will make you want to plant lots of trees. I loved it.
Thanks Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs Darcy) for the recommendation in a previous summer reading guide.
Thanks Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs Darcy) for the recommendation in a previous summer reading guide.
angorarabbit's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.5
TLDR: The perfect book to give your daughter if you don’t want her to major in STEM.
This is a memoir so I feel like criticising the book is criticising the writer. Which is not my goal. Ms Jahren is a successful scientist with many peer reviewed papers to her name. I am not.
Most of my problem with the book is that her personality and mine clash violently. Perhaps Ms Jahren’s personality is the type that makes a good scientist and a good science educator. I need to read some more science memoirs.
I will say that I was disappointed that she didn’t give more details in how discrimination affected her career and what steps worked to overcome that discrimination. Also how other scientists who were also discriminated against because of gender, ethnicity, orientation or disability were treated and what their outcomes were.
Interspersed between each chapter recalling her life is a short chapter about trees. Anthropomorphized trees. Seeds spend decades hoping for the right conditions to sprout. They hope that they get enough rain at the right times.Trees worry and hope and think more that I do. It felt like the biology was dumbed down a little to much with a few big words sprinkled in so I would know this was special science stuff.
Her care and worry about the earth and all the lives on it in the face of climate change is very clear. But I’ve read all this for over 30 years now. We need to stop talking about climate change and start doing something about it. The only suggestion that I saw was to stop cutting so many trees. We passed that point some time ago.
I thank my library for making this available on the Kindle app. The only bad part was I couldn’t throw the book into the wall without ruining my tablet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Car accident, Bullying, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent
daught3roftheking's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.5