Litsy

Finding the Mother Tree | Suzanne Simard

@wordslinger42 @Mitch @MelisK @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @rockpools @Chrissyreadit @ravenlee @Blackink_WhitePaper @BookwormAHN @Deblovestoread @MilesnMelodies @Graywacke @jenniferw88
@ErinSueMreads @Chelsea.Poole @Ann_Reads @TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @jlhammar @LeeRHarry @Dilara @Soubhiville @wanderinglynn

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Looking forward to the discussion

Debs x

Graywacke (Pardon a sad digression. I‘m in a weird place. I read chapter 2 when I still had my cat, and he was healing in an animal hospital. I read chapter 3 after we had lost him.) Anyway I found C2 so depressing, the condemnation of nature. And i can relate a little, being in the oil industry and wearing guilt. I found C3 so fascinating and uplifting. I loved her brother and i loved learning about mycorrhiza mushrooms and their role with trees. 2y

AllDebooks @Graywacke oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. Losing a beloved pet is so tough. My thoughts and love to you and your family x I agree ch 2 wasn't an easy read and the wildfires started by her family to clear grazing land left me cold. Her brother does sound fun, though I had difficulty reading about the rodeo. Reminded me of the Spanish bullfight I witnessed as a child #traumatised 2y

AllDebooks Thank you for starting us of in our discussion @Graywacke 2y

See All 42 Comments

Graywacke @AllDebooks that‘s a curious thing about her brother. I find no appeal in the rodeo, and have a sort of instinctive dislike of it, thinking about the animals. But she won me over to him despite that. 2y

jlhammar I agree, Chapter 2 was upsetting. First that poor dog falling into the outhouse and then the clear-cutting section was heartbreaking. “On this day, I was to play the role of executioner.“ She knows there are better ways, ways to log and leave enough for the forest to recover, and it is frustrating when she isn't taken seriously. The reply back being “Are you an environmentalist?“ The short-term profit above all else was hard to read about. 2y

jlhammar The fungal detective work in Chapter 3 was really fascinating. Look forward to her testing her theories. Will anyone listen? The rodeo section was kind of hard to read (both the animal cruelty aspect and just so dangerous), but I enjoyed seeing a bit of her relationship with her brother and the parallel she drew about Kelly and bull riding to her and her trees. Both in their blood. 2y

AnnR I'm still having difficulty separating the activities of the author's family (slash & burn), her logging industry job & her observations about why some fledgling trees flourish while others don't. I do hope some good comes of it, meaning changes to logging industry practices. I think the writing is a little disjointed with Simard switching back & forth between personal/professional stories. Still enjoying the fungal info, odd as that sounds. 😋 ⬇⬇ 2y

AnnR Having said all that, I think many of us have held jobs where we weren't in agreement with how things were done, but maybe not to the level of S. Simard's experience. I also cannot hold her responsible for her family's actions. That wouldn't be fair. The passages about the dog getting stuck in the outhouse was a little odd but I suppose it was included to provide some humor. I think that chapter needed some editing, IMHO. 2y

AnnR @Graywacke Maybe you could do a Litsy tribute to your reading partner when your head and heart is in a better space. I'm so sorry. This has been a rough couple of months for you. 2y

AllDebooks @Ann_Reads that's a lovely idea x 2y

AllDebooks @Ann_Reads tbh, I've been irritated by her writing style. I noted it was very disjointed and distracting. It felt like I was reading my mind, constantly flitting from one idea to another. I agree with your comment about editing. I really hope there is some impact on her findings and the way the logging industry operates. I have to remind myself, this is a retrospective account and we're still in the 1980s atm. 2y

Chelsea.Poole @Ann_Reads @AllDebooks oh I so agree!! I wondered if it was a ‘me problem‘ or an issue with the writing style and reading your comments makes me feel better. I wish the author would focus on one time period/subject/story at a time and then weave the stories together, as I‘ve experienced done numerous times. I had to reread sentences multiple times to make sense of things. 2y

AllDebooks @Chelsea.Poole Yes, it has been frustrating, I was thinking there was something wrong with me too 😅 2y

AllDebooks @jlhammar I really didn't like the dog incident at all. I really hope there aren't anymore animal stories, cos tbh, between the dog and the rodeo, I'm losing interest. It's only the forest and my 2y

AllDebooks ^^ cont.^^ the fungi connections I'm getting sucked back into it. 2y

Graywacke @Chelsea.Poole @Ann_Reads @AllDebooks In all her stories so far, we‘re always mixing more than one story, each with very different mindsets. And each story is itself a mixture. The dog in the cesspool, grandpa‘s hand (or was it uncle‘s?), youth, and soil stratification are all one story! It hasn‘t bothered me so far, but it creates some very odd jumps and juxtapositions. (edited) 2y

jlhammar Yeah, agree with you all that the writing is a bit odd, but she strikes me as an offbeat kind of person so maybe it‘s fitting? I‘m just going with it. I like that we‘re just doing a couple chapters a week on this one. Working well for me so far. 2y

jlhammar @AllDebooks I thought maybe I was being overly sensitive, but glad I wasn‘t alone in finding the dog part distressing. It seemed like she thought it was funny? I guess knowing it had a happy ending maybe helps, but geez, the poor thing. 2y

Blackink_WhitePaper @AllDebooks Like many , I had difficulty in reading the second chapter. Felt bad for trees and specially for that poor dog. Then the fungi part sparked some interest.But I felt that part is vaguely discussed. Could have been more elaborate. The story of her brother felt like a distraction from main concept. I couldn‘t understand logic for the sudden change of topics. Now by going through the comments it is making more sense 😛 thank you 😊 2y

Chelsea.Poole @jlhammar @alldebooks @blackink_whitepaper -- also agree -- was put-off by the jokey manner in which she told the dog story. Although, it let me know it would end up happily so that was a plus. But didn't find it really funny. 2y

Chelsea.Poole also, I'd like to comment that I'm learning new terms and concepts...in my ignorance I didn't know what a 'flume' was, or 'hummocks'. I enjoy learning about these here and there in this. It's bizarre though, usually I am able to use context clues to figure out most new-to-me terms but in this, nearly every word I'm unfamiliar with is a google search.
2y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I agree C2 was hard to read, seriously that poor dog! But I enjoyed her openness about her life out in nature. I‘ve never known anyone to actively like eating dirt once they‘re old enough to speak. 😅 The part about her brother in C3 had me a bit lost. I was wondering “What‘s the point of this?” the whole time. Side note: my family used to watch PBR when I was a kid and I‘d always root for the bulls and cheer when they threw their riders. 😅 2y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Chelsea.Poole I‘m also loving the new vocab words! My reading journal is getting used more now. 😅 2y

Chelsea.Poole @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm yes, rodeo: why? But I guess more of her family life…? 2y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Chelsea.Poole Maybe. I guess my hang ups with it come from how I really expected less of a memoir kind of read. I feel like the information about her family in previous parts had more to do with the actual context of the rest of her story. This bit felt more shoehorned in. Maybe it‘s laying down ground work for later points/connections. 2y

AllDebooks @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I don't think it's down to poor writing, I think she was failed by her editing team. This really could have been so much more consistent, fluid. It is like reading a mind map! 2y

jenniferw88 Does it help if I tell you it all ties together in the end? 2y

AllDebooks @jenniferw88 lol, maybe so. I think that's what we're all hoping for 2y

rockpools Coming to this late: yes to all of the above! The trees n fungi bits are fascinating& I don‘t mind the memoir/background content. But I‘m not loving the storytelling. Apart from the jumpiness, it feels like she suddenly, accidentally stumbled on this amazing theory almost from scratch, and 🤨. I guess she‘s starting from the finished science, & patching in early experiences to illustrate her theories, but written as a memoir it feels forced & odd. (edited) 2y

rockpools @jenniferw88 😁👍Yes, it does! 2y

AllDebooks @rockpools I agree, it does feel forced. Not a smooth read at all 2y

ravenlee I get that she‘s tying together family and childhood events that influence her, give her a unique perspective, but it is really hard to read science as stream-of-consciousness. 2y

ravenlee I also found the dog bit disturbing, although I was glad that everybody just jumped in so willingly. 2y

Mitch Mmm…. Loved the photos more than the writing in these two chapters and that‘s a shame! I find the writing in the present tense for events that happens 40plus years unfortunately makes me question her truths and her memory! I wish she‘d stuck with where she is in life now rather than make us feel like we‘re on her journey with her - narrated by her elder self 2y

Mitch Like many of you - my ears pricked up when the talked moved to mycorrhiza - but I didn‘t like the way she ‘ discovered‘ it! 2y

Mitch So far - for me this is a memoir first and the trees are the backdrop- rather than the other way around! 2y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke WAY behind but I am so sorry to hear about cat!!
2y

TheBookHippie I am so woefully behind HOWEVER!!! I am catching up!! For me the mushroom parts were so fascinating to me, I very much enjoyed it! I believe I am learning with every chapter read, it is interesting as tree education, but I am also loving the memoir as well! 2y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie hi. Thanks. I miss him a ton. Glad you‘re reading this! 2y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke It is really expanding my search for more info addiction.......I absolutely had to wait until the Covid fog dissipated ...ugh. 2y

AllDebooks @TheBookHippie so glad you're feeling better and able to read again. Covid is nasty!! Great you're joining in discussions. Honestly, I'm obsessed with learning new things and this book has really given me a lot to think about. 2y

TheBookHippie @AllDebooks I agree. It‘s so perfect for that! 2y

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