Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
For fans of Michael Pollan, Robert Macfarlane, and Merlin Sheldrake--an exploration into the wild new frontiers of all things fungi
"Comprehensive and enthusiastic . . . This fascinating, informative look into a unique subculture and the fungi at its center is a real treat." --Publishers Weekly
"Nothing is impossible if you bring mushrooms into your life, and reading this book is a great way to begin your journey." --Tradd Cotter, author of author of Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation
Fungi are fundamental to life. As decomposers, they are critical to the formation and sustenance of soils and ecosystems. As endlessly innovative chemists, they devise and secrete enzymes that can break down a vast variety of materials, mitigate bacterial and viral infections, and interact--for better or worse--with the bodies and brains of animals that consume their fruiting bodies, commonly called mushrooms.
Given their ubiquity and utility, it's no surprise that humans have deep cultural connections to fungi and mushrooms, even while they have remained both understudied by institutional science and misunderstood by the general populace. But an emerging mycological vanguard is reaching maturity, exploring and advocating for fungi's capacity to remediate contaminated landscapes and waterways, provide food and medicine, and demonstrate how humans might live in equitable and sustainable accord with nature and one another. This diverse cadre of growers, independent researchers, ecologists, entrepreneurs, and amateur enthusiasts is also scrambling to seize on rising demand for specialty mushrooms in culinary and medicinal markets, advance burgeoning fields of 'applied mycology, ' and center conversations about social justice and sustainability.
In In Search of Mycotopia, Doug Bierend introduces readers to an incredible and oft-overlooked kingdom of life and the potential it holds for our future, by way of the weird and wonderful communities of citizen scientists and microbe devotees working on the fungal frontier. Together they form a picture of the modern mycological movement, which sees these organisms as teachers, partners, and sources of wisdom that offer ways and means for creating a better world.
Synopsis
"The author's sharp ear for dialogue imbues his word portraits with vivid detail. . . . Mushrooms are having a moment. A] natural sequel for the many readers who enjoyed Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life."--Library Journal
"Comprehensive and enthusiastic . . . This fascinating, informative look into a unique subculture and the fungi at its center is a real treat." --Publishers Weekly
"Nothing is impossible if you bring mushrooms into your life, and reading this book is a great way to begin your journey." --Tradd Cotter, author of author of Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation
From ecology to fermentation, in pop culture and in medicine--mushrooms are everywhere. With an explorer's eye, author Doug Bierend guides readers through the weird, wonderful world of fungi and the amazing modern mycological movement.
In Search of Mycotopia introduces us to an incredible, essential, and oft-overlooked kingdom of life--fungi--and all the potential it holds for our future, through the work and research being done by an unforgettable community of mushroom-mad citizen scientists and microbe devotees. This entertaining and mind-expanding book will captivate readers who are curious about the hidden worlds and networks that make up our planet.
Bierend uncovers a vanguard of mycologists; growers, independent researchers, ecologists, entrepreneurs, and amateur enthusiasts exploring and advocating for fungi's capacity to improve and heal. From decontaminating landscapes and waterways to achieving food security, In Search of Mycotopia demonstrates how humans can work with fungi to better live with nature--and with one another.