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piabo's review against another edition
5.0
<<<2024 Review>>>
Hope Jahren is such a good writer and cool person and scientist, and I want to be like her. Not entirely, but badass like her. It's a refreshing read. I am happy I reread this!
Definitely learned more over the past years of what it really means to be a scientist, and my enthusiastic review of 2021 is a bit outdated. This book is just one insight into what it looks like to do research, it can also look differently. But still fascinating.
Also, trees are fun.
<<<2021 Review>>>
Finally done with this beautiful book.
Hope Jahren is a talented writer and a great scientist. The best autobiography I ever read.
This book took me to various experiences a researcher is likely to experience during their career. It gave wonderful insights into day to day life, traits that are good to have, the smaller and bigger challenges, and the joy (or disappointment) that comes from the process and the results.
If you still wonder if being a full time scientist is something for you, and you don't have the resources to shadow in a lab, or travel to research sites, there is an easier way: read this book!
For me, I now know that this is what I am supposed to be doing for the rest of my life 😍
Hope Jahren is such a good writer and cool person and scientist, and I want to be like her. Not entirely, but badass like her. It's a refreshing read. I am happy I reread this!
Definitely learned more over the past years of what it really means to be a scientist, and my enthusiastic review of 2021 is a bit outdated. This book is just one insight into what it looks like to do research, it can also look differently. But still fascinating.
Also, trees are fun.
<<<2021 Review>>>
Finally done with this beautiful book.
Hope Jahren is a talented writer and a great scientist. The best autobiography I ever read.
This book took me to various experiences a researcher is likely to experience during their career. It gave wonderful insights into day to day life, traits that are good to have, the smaller and bigger challenges, and the joy (or disappointment) that comes from the process and the results.
If you still wonder if being a full time scientist is something for you, and you don't have the resources to shadow in a lab, or travel to research sites, there is an easier way: read this book!
For me, I now know that this is what I am supposed to be doing for the rest of my life 😍
mindsplinters's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.25
Seeing as how I finished this book during a 2-leg plane flight over the course of one day, yeah, I would say I liked it! Jahren alternates more scientific chapters about plants and their study and their quirks with chapters charting her own quirks and development. While some of the more personal sections can read as somewhat uncomfy reminders of things like generational trauma and the pain of being different, you still keep going because you want Jahren to succeed. Her passion for discovery and wonder at the natural world is contagious and you delight as she finds her way in the world. Education, a very special friend, a successful career, and eventually love and a family. You learn about her and her precious plants all at once and it just feels right.
margardenlady's review against another edition
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Jahren provides a window into several disparate areas: principles of botany, foibles of college politics, and the experience of being bipolar. And somehow it hangs together. Her science was nicely expressed in lay terms. The college politics were accurately represented, by my estimation. I was intrigued by the bipolar description. Reminded me of ‘A Million Little Pieces’.
lovelyday2day's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I did not geek out over the plant sections like I frankly wish I did. Her professional passion was incredible. I enjoyed learning about how she funds her lab and the complexities of securing funding from government funds. I thought the writing was strong and I am glad I know more about the author and industry.
lsamp's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed parts of this book. The author has had a whirlwind of a life and her book allows a peak behind the curtain of the not so glamorous life of an academic. I thought her writing was a little verbose and could have been edited down a bit.
Every other chapter she alternates between telling personal anecdotes and explaining different scientific phenomena of plants. While she does explain the plant science well so that the average person can understand, it did not particularly interest me.
Every other chapter she alternates between telling personal anecdotes and explaining different scientific phenomena of plants. While she does explain the plant science well so that the average person can understand, it did not particularly interest me.
staciek3's review against another edition
I was interested in this book in the beginning, but I could not take anymore detailed explanations about her work in the hospital lab... move on already! So with 10 hours to go of a 12 hr audiobook, I called it. DNF
mackenziehelms's review against another edition
1.0
To read the full review visit: macksbookreviews.wordpress.com
The Good:
This book is filled with symbolism between plants and life. Hope constantly uses plants to show human relationships and growth. This is a common theme throughout the book that I really enjoyed. I had never really thought of a plant being like a human, but after reading this book it is incredible how alike the two are.
Another good aspect about this book is that it is raw. Which Hope is describing her manic episodes and her struggles with bipolar disorder (the diagnosis is never stated in the book but the symptoms given make it clear). Normally in books you don’t feel how real a mental disorder can be, but this being an autobiography, Hope gives the raw uncensored feelings that come with having a mental disorder.
The Bad:
The organization of this book makes it very hard to read. At some times, Hope will go from a chapter describing her life, to a chapter that is strictly about plants. Because of this, it was so hard to find the purpose of this book until it was over.
This book was also confusing to those who have no interest in scientific plant life. I found myself wanting to skip whole chapters because they would talk only of plant life and different plants around the world. Although the purpose of this was connect plants to human life, it was still so hard to want to read those chapters. So if you have no passions for plants and scientific life, DO NOT read this book.
Another part of this book that made it hard to read was Hope’s tone. It felt like Hope was so bland in real life. The only time she seemed to really see emotion was when she was excited about her work. When she finally found met her husband, it still seemed like her whole life was revolved around plants. (Her definition of true love was when her husband opened a taxi door for her if that helps you see her strange personality).
Overall:
There was good and bad to this book, but in my opinion the bad just overlooked the good. This was a very hard read for people who have no passions for science, and was very confusing because of the organization.
This book was only about 300 pages, but took me forever to read because I was just so bored.
Overall, I would only rate this book a 1 star, and definitely would not read it again.
The Good:
This book is filled with symbolism between plants and life. Hope constantly uses plants to show human relationships and growth. This is a common theme throughout the book that I really enjoyed. I had never really thought of a plant being like a human, but after reading this book it is incredible how alike the two are.
Another good aspect about this book is that it is raw. Which Hope is describing her manic episodes and her struggles with bipolar disorder (the diagnosis is never stated in the book but the symptoms given make it clear). Normally in books you don’t feel how real a mental disorder can be, but this being an autobiography, Hope gives the raw uncensored feelings that come with having a mental disorder.
The Bad:
The organization of this book makes it very hard to read. At some times, Hope will go from a chapter describing her life, to a chapter that is strictly about plants. Because of this, it was so hard to find the purpose of this book until it was over.
This book was also confusing to those who have no interest in scientific plant life. I found myself wanting to skip whole chapters because they would talk only of plant life and different plants around the world. Although the purpose of this was connect plants to human life, it was still so hard to want to read those chapters. So if you have no passions for plants and scientific life, DO NOT read this book.
Another part of this book that made it hard to read was Hope’s tone. It felt like Hope was so bland in real life. The only time she seemed to really see emotion was when she was excited about her work. When she finally found met her husband, it still seemed like her whole life was revolved around plants. (Her definition of true love was when her husband opened a taxi door for her if that helps you see her strange personality).
Overall:
There was good and bad to this book, but in my opinion the bad just overlooked the good. This was a very hard read for people who have no passions for science, and was very confusing because of the organization.
This book was only about 300 pages, but took me forever to read because I was just so bored.
Overall, I would only rate this book a 1 star, and definitely would not read it again.
buttercupita's review against another edition
5.0
I was unsure at the start of this book, but as Jahren wove together stories of her personal growth and development as a scientist along with explanations of botany, I came to appreciate her extraordinary writing voice and quirky relationships. It seems unfair that anyone should have so many talents!
yogagirl's review against another edition
3.0
Not that memorable, the main character seemed a bit self-absorbed.
pennygale's review against another edition
I loved his book. I look at trees in a whole new way. Trees can communicate with each other, take calculated risks, and make chemical changes (using information communicated from other trees) to fend off certain insects. Some plants protect their own. Some plants can resurrect. I enjoyed the scientific findings, her tales of struggling as a woman in the masculine world of university politics, her personal account of manic depressive episodes, and I fell in love with Bill, her constant companion. Now, I need to go plant a tree. Then, I need to tell someone about it:)