This Book Was A Tree- A Review

This Book Was A Tree- Ideas, Adventures, and Inspiration for Rediscovering the Natural World, by Marcie Chambers Cuff, the Penguin Group, paperback, 190 pp., $16.00.

This Book Was A Tree is a beautiful, beautifully written, book, both in appearance and in sentiment.

When I go out anywhere anymore, whether it’s to a restaurant, a sporting event, or a concert, what I see are people, especially young people, fiddling with little electronic devices. They’re not paying attention to or interacting which each other, and they are certainly not interacting with what’s left of the natural world that surrounds them. My guess is many of them never learned how to interact with the natural world, and those that did have forgotten.

This Book Was A Tree will teach you how if you never learned, and will remind you how to if you’ve forgotten. “No need to be a weekend warrior with a carbon-fiber kayak hitched to your bike to appreciate the out-of-doors. Getting out there doesn’t require special equipment or masses of expensive gear. Instead, become re-acquainted with nearby wild pockets of nature. Look around! Nature is as close as a sidewalk crack or a moss-covered stone.” She implores the reader to commit to spending at least 15 minutes exploring outside every day.

One of the chapters is called, “Get Dirty.” Why? “Think of yourself as more than a single organism. Your body is a planet- a superorganism comprised of so much more than your own human cells. Its sun-drenched skin grasslands and waterlogged gut wetlands are teeming with diverse communities of critters- each looking for a shelter, a good meal, and a few trustworthy allies.
“In this chapter, you’ll expose yourself to the germy world. You’ll be challenged to go barefoot in the dirt, make a mudpie, snuggle with a dog, and eat whole unprocesseed fiber-rich antibiotic-free foods that promote a healthy internal ecosystem…”

I can hardly wait.

Another chapter is called “Scatter Some Seeds.” Ms. Cuff writes, “An avalanche of unprecedented global challenges looms before us and very few people are paying attention. How can one single individual make a difference when the Earth’s problems loom so large? Here’s how: you take the information you’ve gathered and then share whatever you have with the world.”

Ms. Cuff wants all of us to develop a more sustainable lifestyle. I could not agree with her any more wholeheartedly. She has me working on three projects already and I have my eye set on a couple more.

This Book Was A Tree is a lovely book. This Book Was A Tree is an important book. Even if you don’t need to read it, you damn sure know a lot of people who do. Run, don’t walk, to the nearest bookstore and buy one. Read it and put its philosophy into practice. The global community will thank you for it.

John Kumiski