Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill

Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill

Release Date: September 2nd 2011
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Greystone Books
Buy It: Book Depository

Gill offers up a slice of tree-planting life in all of its soggy, gritty exuberance while questioning the ability of conifer plantations to replace original forests, which evolved over millennia into intricate, complex ecosystems. Among other topics, she also touches on the boom-and-bust history of logging and the versatility of wood, from which we have devised countless creations as diverse as textiles and airplane parts.

As somebody who once got a job as a tree-planter, only to end up quitting before I even started when a parent got married the same summer I was supposed to work, I was especially intrigued in picking up this look into the life of a career tree-planter. Gill worked as a tree-planter for 20 years, and all I can say is: she should have been writing.

Well, maybe not, because then we wouldn't have gotten this incredible memoir, Eating Dirt. It's one of those books that manages to mix the personal and the factual in a smooth and interesting way. Gill covers all kinds of history: logging, tree-planting, agriculture, and other plant uses. Because of the non-fiction distractions, the chronology of Eating Dirt can be a bit confusing at times– I'm not sure, but I think that the ending took place before another chunk of the book. It probably wasn't helped by the fact that I took a three month break while reading the memoir though. I'm so glad I went back to Eating Dirt when I was ready for it, instead of swamped with school work, because it's really a poetic and amazingly written book.

Gill has some funny anecdotes, some emotional ones, and even some scary ones (Mama Bear anyone?). It makes Eating Dirt a great mix of stories, held together by her clear love for tree-planting. It's hard to imagine somebody doing this voluntarily, and the memoir is filled with an eclectic cast of people who do. I love the way the tree planters are mostly called "we" throughout the book, because it just makes it clear what a strong connection this kind of experience forms. Assuming that Gill has retired from tree-planting, I wish there had been a little insight into what it was like for her afterwards, but given that the book follows only one year, that probably would have required an epilogue.

I'm not sure I can recommend this book if you are considering planting trees. On one hand, it's a vivid insight into the job. On the other hand, I'm now one hundred percent glad I missed out on the opportunity to do. Eating Dirt exposes what life is like planting trees, peels away the bark to the soft underbelly, and the result is a beautiful and brutal exploration of a unique career and the people who choose it.

The Untamed Garden by Sonia Day

The Untamed Garden: A Revealing Look at Our Love Affair with Plants by Sonia Day

Release Date: November 8th 2011
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Random House
Buy It: Book Depository

Which suggestive plant caused a queen to faint when it was presented to her at court? What was the original French name for the Great Maiden's Blush rose that had the Victorians blushing? Why are figs and pomegranates thought to be the real forbidden fruit that led Adam and Eve into temptation?

I love plants, but almost from page three I was concerned I wouldn't love Sonia Day's The Untamed Garden. That's because it begins with vivid and erotic imagery:

"the plant world is drenched in sex," she writes "Passionate, urgent, unabashed sex. Buds swell suggestively. Phallic stalks thrust skywards. Enticing orifices and lolling tongues invite probing. [...] Pornographic couplings take place. And ah, those seductive scents, like the one wafting from my father's cereus."

She's writing about a flower her father grew, one that bloomed at night and only for a couple hours, but honestly, that kind of description not only made me want to giggle a bit, but seemed like it belonged more in a steamy romance novel than a non-fiction book about flowers. But according to Day, that's why she "wrote this book– to encourage people to start celebrating the wild, sexy side of Mother Nature as humans once did, because it's been shunted aside and forgotten for far too long."

Believe me, it's not that this kind of lusty, vivid imagery went away after page 3, but I kinda got used to it.  And somewhere amid the blushing and giggling that accompanied my reading of this book– I'm really a ten year old at heart, apparently– I started to enjoy it. What sets The Untamed Garden apart, besides for its beautiful design and images, is Day's wonderful conversational way of writing. Often, it sounds like listening to an old friend (or maybe a slightly cooky aunt). At one point, Day writes how clergy

"removed the stamens and pistils from white lily blooms displayed on church altars on the grounds that such "overt symbols of sexuality" might move the congregation to think impure thoughts. Tut-tut." 

Estella Rijnveld Tulip– I'm in love with this one!

Or talking about the Greek god Paeon, she writes, "His is a complication and confusing myth (like so many)."

Her language didn't always hit the mark for me, she seems to have a fondness for some strange vocabulary, often using phrases such as "hot-to-trot", "titillating", and "pooh-bahs", quite a few of which I had to Google. I actually really recommend having the Internet handy when you read The Untamed Garden, as there are so many references to erotic looking plants that even with the many photos I was constantly Googling. Also, I don't think they look sexual, but the book did lead me to discover Parrot Tulips, which I am now officially obsessed with. So gorgeous!

There's also humour to The Untamed Garden as well. A self-described "master gardener" Day doesn't take herself too seriously. Writing on Amorphophallus konjac, she says:

"The whole plant could be described as a knock-out, in fact, and a great way to impress the people gardeners always like to impress– other gardeners."

Ultimately, if you're looking for a sexually charged book on plants, I completely recommend The Untamed Garden. But even if you're not, it's definitely entertaining enough to be worth a try– you'll never look at plants the same way again.

Bees: Nature's Little Wonders by Candace Savage

Bees: Nature's Little Wonders by Candace Savage looks at the incredible insect in a way you have never experienced before. It covers everything from what the relationships between bees is like, the diversity of bees, and what is going on in the mind of a bee. I picked up Bees because I'm a huge nature and science nerd, but what I found is a wonderful little book with crossover appeal to anyone who might just be a little interested in bees. Savage combines everything from poetry and sayings involving bees, to the history of the bee. Not only does she tell the story in an interesting way, but the book itself is extremely aesthetically attractive. You can click here to get an inside preview of Bees (it looks even better in real life!).  

I did find two rather large gaps in the material covered. First, there is a not a single mention of Killer Bees which have spread and terrorized over the years and which I certainly would have loved to learned the facts behind. Secondly, Savage only spends the final three pages of the book discussing the threats to bees in a way that is rushed and vague and I certainly thought a book funded by the David Suzuki Foundation would have spent a little more time on the environmental struggles facing the bee. That said, it's wonderful and informative on the topics it does cover. Savage tells the reader about the history of scientists studying the bee in chronological order, focuses on the key historical and contemporary figures.  I personally have a strong biology background but I had no real prior knowledge of bees going into reading this book. Luckily, Savage is clear and concise although the book itself is not overall scientific in detail.

The format of Bees is fantastic for getting a well-rounded impression of the insects and Savage definitely appears to have done a lot of research while writing the book which also includes plenty of references at the end for further reading. The book is full-colour and the images are a wonderful variety of photos and artistic renderings of the bee. Overall, I fully recommend Bees by Candace Savage as a lovely and informative introduction for individuals interested in learning a little more about this incredible insect!

Release Date: October 1st, 2008
Pages: 136
Source: Publisher 
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