Canadian botanist, biochemist and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger's startling insights into the hidden life of trees have already sparked a quiet revolution in how we understand our relationship to forests. Now, in a captivating account of how her life led her to these illuminating and crucial ideas, she shows us how forests can not only heal us but save the planet.
DIANA BERESFORD-KROEGER is a world-recognized botanist, medical biochemist and author, whose work uniquely combines western scientific knowledge and the traditional concepts of the ancient world. Her books include The Sweetness of a Simple Life, The Global Forest, Arboretum Borealis, Arboretum America--which won the National Arbor Day Foundation Award for exemplary educational work on trees and forests--Time Will Tell, and A Garden for Life. Among many honours, Beresford-Kroeger was inducted as a WINGS WorldQuest fellow in 2010 and elected as a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2011. More recently, in 2016, the Society named her one of 25 women explorers of Canada. Her work has inspired artists and writers, as well as leading scientists. She is the author and presenter of a feature documentary, Call of the Forest, and is also at the heart of an upcoming three-part series airing on PBS called The Truth about Trees. Currently she is advocating on behalf of an ambitious global "bioplan" encouraging ordinary people to develop a new relationship with nature and join together to restore the global forest.
WINNER OF THE 2019 SIGURD F. OLSON NATURE WRITING AWARD
"A leading scientist comes . . . with a simple and hopeful message
about how to reverse the effects of climate change: plant more
trees. . . . She would know. Beresford-Kroeger has a PhD in medical
microbiology and botany. She's published six books on trees and
forests, and was the driving force behind the documentary Call
of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees. She is a member
of the Royal Geographical Society, which named her one of
twenty-five women explorers of Canada. She is also among the Utne
Reader's World Visionaries. . . . Her memoir and speaking tour are
timely. . . . Beresford-Kroeger said reaction to her memoir is
'extraordinary.' Readers have sent letters and called her after
reading the book. It has been likened to Silent Spring by
Rachel Carson and Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if
People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher." -Waterloo Region
Record
"In her youth in Ireland Diana Beresford-Kroeger received an
extraordinary and unique education in traditional Celtic plant
lore. At university in Canada she specialized in biochemistry and
merged what she learned and observed into her signature studies of
trees, augmented by First Nation forest wisdom. This autobiography
of learning ways to heal the damaged earth and break the tightening
grip of climate crisis offers a rational and inclusive way to keep
our future." -Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping
News
"Diana Beresford Kroeger has given readers a rare gift: an
inspiring tale about trees, trauma and the very purpose of life.
Her Celtic story works on you like a good walk in a pine forest:
you can't help but feel invigorated afterwards." -Andrew
Nikiforuk, award-winning journalist
PRAISE FOR THE SWEETNESS OF A SIMPLE LIFE:
"The very existence of this book-with its down-to-earth appeal to
drink wine, eat seaweed, sleep more, enjoy yourself, eschew
industrial food-is testament to the chaos and hostility of modern
life. But Beresford-Kroeger is a firm and gentle guide back to
kindness, back to connection, back to simplicity." -Nick
Saul and Andrea Curtis, co-authors of The Stop: How
the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a
Movement
"This is a unique book, in its approach unlike any other I know. .
. . Diana Beresford-Kroeger convincingly interweaves her scientific
expertise and her extensive knowledge of ancient aboriginal wisdom
and practices, and a path into a saner and safer world seems to
emerge, a path that is open to all. Part of the magic of the book
is its practical accessibility." -Ursula Franklin, author of
The Real World of Technology
"The Sweetness of a Simple Life is a thoughtful book with
much insight into the fundamental relationship between simplicity,
food and biochemistry. It's a perfect read after a long day in the
fields." -Daniel Brisebois, former president of Canadian
Organic Growers
"Her recommendations are inspiring and enlightening. . . . [H]er
enthusiasm for and understanding of the natural world, and her
poetic way of describing its glory and complexity, is satisfying."
-Maclean's
"This is a gem of a book, packed with helpful advice." -The
Record
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