Commentary/review

When a scientist quotes Bruno Latour in an Introduction, it is almost certain that a reading of the entire work is called for. This study is so wonderful (and groundbreaking, like a rock-eating mushroom) that one does not know where to start praising it. Since it is not in my nature to write long reviews (at least, not here), here are a few reasons for reading.

• The book gets better with every chapter. The Introduction and the summaries are a little over the top at the beginning but start to make sense as the work goes on. The research is very original and there is a lot (really a lot) of informative content. Without these pitstops, it would be quite difficult to absorb it in one reading. The narrator, a patient reader, is perfectly chosen to allow for that effect.
• The theses of the book “feel true”. They fit the current sensibilities of a significant part of the general public. There is the notion of Umwelt, a discussion around agency, comparisons between cooperation and competition from different perspectives, lovely in-depth studies of several microcosms in which people, animals, plants, fungi and the landscape are fully represented. The part about the Tibetan mushroom hunters reads a little like a Le Guin novel (the highest praise on this blog). The actors introduced in the book are analysed from several perspectives, many of which escape completely our traditional understanding of science and its categories. As such, the book is an example of how interdisciplinary research expands not only our understanding of the World but also our understanding of science in itself.
• The language and the methods of argumentation are perfectly suited for an audiobook. The Author acquired an incredibly deep understanding of several research fields without loosing sight of his initial questions. As a result, he was able to maintain direction, reach new terrain and present his results like an adventurer who came back, alive, from a life-changing experience. Indications that it was an emotional endeavour are few and subtle but are present in every chapter. They make the reader care about the subject of study.

“What a Mushroom Lives For” mentions “Inside of a Dog” and several other incredibly original modern works. What I found especially intriguing are the parts about the role of mushrooms who, for hundreds of millions of years, created the World of Earth as we know it. First, they created soil by breaking down rocks and cooperated with plants to make the World green. Then, they evolved to break down millions of tons of accumulated wood. Incidentally, the Poetic Edda mentions a substance which, in some translations, is called “venomous yeast” (Eitr) who made the World come into life. “What a Mushroom Lives For” will make your reading come into life not only by virtue of its own content but also through references to other, similarly satisfying, academic works suitable for laymen and laywomen.

This cover is artful, adequate, eye-catching, all-around perfection.

Cover Photo by Russ Lee on Unsplash