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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
much like braiding sweetgrass—often referenced in this book— forest euphoria brought a new perspective of human-nature relationships. kaishian explores the queerness of nature and how it supported her journeys of self-discovery as well as what our western heteronormative culture could learn fluidity and open-mindedness from the organisms around us.
i thought that the presentation of some highly technical information and terminology paired with personal accounts, really made the scientific commentary more digestible and easy to understand; even relate to. after finishing this book, i had an even greater sense of appreciation for all manners of life, as well as hope for how we as a collective may be able to learn from other species and apply those teachings for a better future.
i thought that the presentation of some highly technical information and terminology paired with personal accounts, really made the scientific commentary more digestible and easy to understand; even relate to. after finishing this book, i had an even greater sense of appreciation for all manners of life, as well as hope for how we as a collective may be able to learn from other species and apply those teachings for a better future.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
At the start, I expected this to be a typical nature-inspired memoir. Yet Kaishian subverted my expectations in a wonderful way—while subverting traditional societal ideas around the intersection of nature, science, and queerness.
The book is united by the theme of “otherness” in the natural world, with each chapter filling in the pieces through engaging and powerful anecdotes about swamplands, mating rituals, “creepy crawlies,” and so on. I especially love the observations Kaishian shares, as a mycological scientist, about fungal systems being a symbol of community and a disruption to colonialist and conqueror narratives. I’m very passionate about labor rights and third spaces, and her ongoing insights on “community time” versus “clock time” really resonated.
Overall, this is an exceptionally beautiful and well-researched piece that I’d recommend to anyone who’s willing to go into it with an open mind. “What [fungi] show us, completely and utterly, is that all life is interdependent.”
emotional
informative
inspiring
Informative and instrospective commentary.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
It is actually a great book but my OCD couldn't handle it
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This was a really useful text not just commentating on gender/queerness in nature, but connecting nature also to world crises and the impact of colonialism/war on ecosystems and the people living in them. I learned so much and will definitely revisit this one.