Library Journal

The best science books offer not only detailed scientific knowledge but also good writing and insights into much wider aspects of nature and life. Kimmerer, a botany professor who is also a Native American and a mother, strings together a series of essays teaching us about a fascinating, if humble and neglected, group of plants. Individual narratives are built around her own experiences related to mosses, both as a professional scientist and as a woman exploring her personal environment. She deftly interweaves her different viewpoints but avoids sentimentality and confusing the different "ways of knowing." We learn a good deal about mosses and their ecology as well as gain many insights into how larger ecological systems work and how human intervention has damaged them. Featuring informative and delicate black-and-white drawings of mosses, this gem of a book is recommended for most public and academic natural history collections.-Marit MacArthur Taylor, Auraria Lib., Denver Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.