Title: Entangled Life
Author: Merlin Sheldrake
Genre: Nonfiction, Nature
Published: 2020
Pages: 225
Goodreads Rating: 4.36
Rating: 10/10
“… the question we should ask is not whether an organism has cognition or not. Rather, we should assess the degree to which an organism might be cognizant.”
Join Merlin Sheldrake on an adventure as he explores the astounding and mystifying world of fungi. We owe so much to fungi and yet we know so little about them. It’s time for this endlessly surprising lifeform to get the attention it deserves in Entangled Life.
Pros:
Writing style
Entangled Life immediately captured my attention in the intro. The book flows well from chapter to chapter and Sheldrake does a great job of balancing science with lighter, relatable moments.
Fascinating facts and theories
I was routinely shocked by what fungi are able to do. A few of my favorites include lichen symbiotic relationships, zombie fungi, horizontal evolution, what fungi are able to “eat”, and the abilities of white rot fungi. As you can tell… this book is filled to the brim with fascinating facts.
It doesn’t stop there… Along with what we’ve learned so far, there’s an equal number of thought-provoking theories that are still under investigation. Are fungal webs the proto-brains that ours evolved from? Did psilocybin lead to the first forms of religion or spiritual belief? Can fungi save bees? Will mycelium eventually replace leather, brick, and packaging materials? Here’s what I want to know… Where do I buy a mycelium leather bag?
Worthy of multiple re-reads
With all of this incredible info packed into 225 pages, Entangled Life is worthy of multiple re-reads in order to fully digest everything discussed.
Increases your interest in related topics
Sheldrake helped me pick my next book by talking about the gut/brain connection. I will also follow up on quite a few other topics like brain evolution, the history of religion, and the research on the effects of psilocybin.
Enlightened perspective
I’ll include a snippet from the book to highlight what I mean by having an enlightened perspective…
“Biological realities are never black-and-white. Why should the stories and metaphors we use to make sense of the world – our investigative tools – be so? Might we be able to expand some of our concepts, such that speaking might not always require a mouth, hearing might not always require ears, and interpreting might not always require a nervous system?”
Cons:
Can be a smidge repetitive
This is a microscopic con though as it didn’t really bother me and at times, I needed the reminders.
Overall…
Thank you to Sheldrake for giving me my first 10-star read since December 2022. I completely agree with the praise for Entangled Life.
Caroline’s Library 