NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Available everywhere books are sold; audiobook read by me

UK edition here; forthcoming in twelve additional languages.

Read a review in The New Yorker here.

“Burning with open-minded curiosity, this exploration of the emerging revolution in plant science will challenge what you think you know and ignite a new way of seeing. Part detective story, field trip, and philosophy, this brilliant book stretches the mind toward a profound new understanding of the sophistication of under-appreciated plants. I feel it as an antidote to arrogance, as it engenders humility, respect, and awe for the light eaters who make the world.” –Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass

“I’ll never look at plants—or the natural world—in the same way again, after reading this stunning book. Instead of trying to ram the square peg of botanical life into the round holes of human biology and metaphors, Schlanger instead considers plants on their own terms, as they actually are. The result is mesmerizing, world-expanding, and achingly beautiful.” –Ed Yong, author of An Immense World

“A brilliant must-read. This book shook and changed me.” –David George Haskell, author of Sounds Wild and Broken, The Songs of Trees, and The Forest Unseen

“Rich, vital, and full of surprises. Read it!” –Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky and The Sixth Extinction