Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake 
This book came out in 2021, and the subtitle is How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures.

Dear gardening enthusiast, Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life is not merely a book about fungi; it's a captivating journey into a hidden realm, a world teeming with life, beauty, and secrets.

This isn't just about mushrooms, oh no. It's about the mycelial networks that weave beneath our feet, connecting everything from towering trees to tiny microbes.

This book has won all kinds of recognition: The Wainwright Prize, the Royal Society Science Book Prize, and the Guild of Food Writers Award • Shortlisted for the British Book Award Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize.

The publisher writes,

In Entangled Life, the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the "Wood Wide Web," to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision.

With a writer's touch and a scientist's precision, Merlin guides us through a labyrinth of fungal facts, each more fascinating than the last. From the mind-altering properties of psilocybin to the ecological importance of mycorrhizae, there's something here to pique even the most casual interest in nature.

Merlin's passion for fungi (fun-ghee) knows no bounds. Fungi are often referred to as a neglected kingdom of life.

We know very little about fungi compared to other kingdoms like plants and animals, and only six percent have been described thus far. Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants.

Today, most plant life depends on relationships with mycorrhizal fungi or fungi that live in their roots. These fungi help plants acquire water and nutrients. They also protect the plants from disease. 

But it's not just plants that need fungi. All Life on earth depends on fungi.

Most fungi are mycelium—the branching, fusing networks of tubular cells that feed and transport substances around themselves. Fungi have a unique way of organizing themselves. Mycelium covers the earth in a chaotic, sprawling way. It can be stretched out end to end up to ten kilometers from a single teaspoon of soil.

But Entangled Life is more than just a collection of information; it's a philosophical exploration of what it means to be alive. Merlin challenges our traditional notions of individuality and intelligence, suggesting that fungi might possess a form of consciousness we can barely comprehend.

This book is a feast for the senses, filled with vivid descriptions and stunning illustrations. It's a must-read for anyone who loves the natural world and wants to deepen their understanding of its intricate workings. So, step into the mushroom maze and prepare to be amazed. Entangled Life is nothing if not a fascinating read to those of us who spend our days connecting with Mother Earth in a never-ending attempt to know her better.

This book is 368 pages of the mysterious and miraculous world of fungi. 

You can get a copy of Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $9.