Robin Wall Kimmerer's book is not an identification guide, nor is it a scientific treatise. Rather, it is a series of linked personal essays that will lead general readers and scientists alike to an understanding of how mosses live and how their lives are intertwined with the lives of countless other beings, from salmon and hummingbirds to redwoods and rednecks. Kimmerer clearly and artfully explains the biology of mosses, while at the same time reflecting on what these fascinating organisms have to teach us.
Drawing on her diverse experiences as a scientist, mother, teacher, and writer of Native American heritage, Kimmerer explains the stories of mosses in scientific terms as well as in the framework of indigenous ways of knowing. In her book, the natural history and cultural relationships of mosses become a powerful metaphor for ways of living in the world.
Gathering Moss will appeal to a wide range of readers, from bryologists to those interested in natural history and the environment, Native Americans, and contemporary nature and science writing.
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780870714993
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oregon State University Press
Publication Date: 03-01-2003
Pages: 168
Product Dimensions: 6.02(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)
About the Author
Robin Wall Kimmerer is Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She also serves as director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Gathering Moss won the 2005 John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing.