Nonfiction

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-20 00:51:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-14
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Merlin Sheldrake
  • ISBN：1784708275
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Summary

‘A dazzling， vibrant， vision-changing book。 I ended it wonderstruck at the fungal world。 A remarkable work by a remarkable writer’ Robert Macfarlane， author of Underland

The more we learn about fungi， the less makes sense without them。

Neither plant nor animal， they are found throughout the earth， the air and our bodies。 They can be microscopic， yet also account for the largest organisms ever recorded。 They enabled the first life on land， can survive unprotected in space and thrive amidst nuclear radiation。 In fact， nearly all life relies in some way on fungi。

These endlessly surprising organisms have no brain but can solve problems and manipulate animal behaviour with devastating precision。 In giving us bread， alcohol and life-saving medicines， fungi have shaped human history， and their psychedelic properties have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses。 Their ability to digest plastic， explosives， pesticides and crude oil is being harnessed in break-through technologies， and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks， the ‘Wood Wide Web’， is transforming the way we understand ecosystems。 Yet over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented。

Entangled Life is a mind-altering journey into a spectacular and neglected world， and shows that fungi provide a key to understanding both the planet on which we live， and life itself。

'One of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you。 Astounding' Helen MacDonald， author of H Is for Hawk

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Reviews

Sharron Terrill ，

This was interesting but a lot for my limited scientific brain to take in。

Donnie ，

Fantastic book about a fantastic life form--fungi。 Who knew that fungi could be so fascinating， so necessary， and so "everywhere。" If you like learning about how the world works， you need to read this book。 If you love the woods and find trees and other flora fascinating， you need to read this book。 If you care about the future， ditto。。。。。 I had read other books commenting on the relatively new science that trees can communicate among themselves， can help each other out， can alert other trees to Fantastic book about a fantastic life form--fungi。 Who knew that fungi could be so fascinating， so necessary， and so "everywhere。" If you like learning about how the world works， you need to read this book。 If you love the woods and find trees and other flora fascinating， you need to read this book。 If you care about the future， ditto。。。。。 I had read other books commenting on the relatively new science that trees can communicate among themselves， can help each other out， can alert other trees to dangers。 But I didn't understand how。 The answer， at least partly， is fungi。 They do lots of stuff that we ultimately benefit from， and that isn't counting their medicinal qualities and the fact that we wouldn't have alcohol without them。 Wonderful book that I plan to read again。 So much information and still so many areas scientists are just beginning to explore。 。。。more

Callista ，

Fascinating on the whole。 A bit too scientific to keep me completely focused。 That sounds terrible but I’m just being honest。 I like Non Fiction with a bit more narrative weaved in and out of the facts。

Sri ，

I learned so much about fungi， highly recommend for mushroom enthusiasts！ Fungi are going to rule the world one day 😩

Joanna ，

A wonderful read。 Merlins vast knowledge and enthusiasm spills from the page and makes this subject， even more fascinating than I could've imagined。 He writes in a very pleasant way， explaining things in depth without blinding you with science， and making the subject come alive。 The vastness of the matter concerned and its vital place in the world is emphasised clearly and really surprised me。 He writes of incidents from his personal life， and has a uniquely individual way of doing his research A wonderful read。 Merlins vast knowledge and enthusiasm spills from the page and makes this subject， even more fascinating than I could've imagined。 He writes in a very pleasant way， explaining things in depth without blinding you with science， and making the subject come alive。 The vastness of the matter concerned and its vital place in the world is emphasised clearly and really surprised me。 He writes of incidents from his personal life， and has a uniquely individual way of doing his research on the subject。 I loved this book。Ilearnt alot。I now have a huge respect for Fungi of all kinds and their place in the earth， and I really want Merlin to write more books as I believe he has an amazing natural talent for writing。 。。。more

Claire C。 Crowley ，

Fungi/mushrooms are amazing！！！ Learned a lot from this book！

April ，

Some chapters are more interesting than others but I guess that depend on what you’re into。 Overall I would rate it at a 3。5， pretty good with only a few slower spots。 Definitely made me re-think how I view fungi and the roles they play in life and death。

Ruth Hartnup ，

Wonderful - literally。

Kenzie ，

This book is stuffed with mind boggling information about fungi and the connections between fungi and the world。 I enjoyed reading this and found it to be accessible for non-experts as well as entertaining。 Anecdotes are sprinkled throughout but dont dominate the narrative; even when he speaks about his personal connections to fungi it still feels like the fungi are the main character。 Overall， very interesting！

Virat Sharma ，

4。5 🌟Brilliant！ A book that makes you want to underline and annotate almost every page。 Poetry and paradigm shifts as complex as the subject matter that made me stop to ponder over sentences after sentences that were so profound and made me look at the world and the subterranean world in a different way。 How fungi made the world-The concept that really blows my mind is the fact that symbiosis has been a major force in one of the most significant evolutionary development in the history of life- M 4。5 🌟Brilliant！ A book that makes you want to underline and annotate almost every page。 Poetry and paradigm shifts as complex as the subject matter that made me stop to ponder over sentences after sentences that were so profound and made me look at the world and the subterranean world in a different way。 How fungi made the world-The concept that really blows my mind is the fact that symbiosis has been a major force in one of the most significant evolutionary development in the history of life- Merlin describes about the alliance of algal and fungi in the form of lichens that totally changed the course of evolution。 And when we think about evolution from Darwinism's lenses， then we don't consider similar alliances that have been forged over the course of evolution。 Also， it is hard to imagine a world without decomposition， where all the carbon is locked up and not released back in the atmosphere。 Perhaps， The Earth would have become another Pluto？How fungi change our mind- Ofcourse， psychedelics that gives you vision and mystical experience and also these zombie fungus （ophiocordyceps）that puppeteers Leafcutter ants in the woods。 How it will shape our futures- Humans have been partnering with fungi since time immemorial。 But this Anthropocene epoch has necessitated us to think about radical ways of taking the help of mycelium。 Some species of fungi like Pleurotus can grow on a diet cigarette butts to glyphosates and other agricultural trash。 Just how effective and sustainable carbon recycling could become。You'll be tugged in the world of mycology and never look at it the same way。Also， as an after thought I think that it doesn't make any sense to anthropomorphise certain concepts and organisms that we are yet to understand fully。 。。。more

Dennis ，

The author， Merlin Sheldrake is the rare combination of a scientist and exceptional science writer。 Fascinating。

Jeff Kuhn ，

I’d give this 3。5 stars。 There were some new things I learned， but some I already knew。 A little too prosy for my liking。

A ，

4。5 rounded up。 It takes a bit for one to adjust to Sheldrake's writing style （which in my opinion improves as the book goes on） and a prerequisite interest in fungi is useful but nonetheless a very interesting book about an oft overlooked topic。 4。5 rounded up。 It takes a bit for one to adjust to Sheldrake's writing style （which in my opinion improves as the book goes on） and a prerequisite interest in fungi is useful but nonetheless a very interesting book about an oft overlooked topic。 。。。more

Ben ，

Awesome read。 Interesting stuff on every page。 Highly recommend。

Joyce ，

Richly written， almost poetic， coverage of fungi and their seemingly infinite chemical abilities， written with wonder， respect， and curiosity that is guaranteed to make you interested in them。 The book explores how fungi work and how we employ them for purposes ranging from environmental detoxification to fermentation of food to （of course， no book about fungi is complete without discussion about） their psychedelic effects on us。 If you listen to audiobooks， I highly recommend the version read b Richly written， almost poetic， coverage of fungi and their seemingly infinite chemical abilities， written with wonder， respect， and curiosity that is guaranteed to make you interested in them。 The book explores how fungi work and how we employ them for purposes ranging from environmental detoxification to fermentation of food to （of course， no book about fungi is complete without discussion about） their psychedelic effects on us。 If you listen to audiobooks， I highly recommend the version read by the author， because he also has an excellent， soothing voice。 。。。more

Naomi ，

We read this as a before-bed sort of book， just a few pages per day。 I enjoyed the authors narrative style that started a chapter with a story， wandered off into related discussions， and then came back to the story near the end of the chapter。 Sheldrake's enthusiasm and love of Fungi is infectious and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Entangled Life。 We read this as a before-bed sort of book， just a few pages per day。 I enjoyed the authors narrative style that started a chapter with a story， wandered off into related discussions， and then came back to the story near the end of the chapter。 Sheldrake's enthusiasm and love of Fungi is infectious and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Entangled Life。 。。。more

Helen McClory ，

It was a fun experience to listen to this while eating a （non magic） mushroom pizza

Cmaurer ，

Loved the first part， learned a lot！ Scientific theories and author anecdotes were less engaging。

Saif Elhendawi ，

I really enjoyed reading this book， to an extent that has certainly exceeded my expectations。 I was never a mycology enthusiast and I certainly never realized how integral and important they are to nature in general and human societies specifically。 From beer to bread to mushroom bricks and mycelial chairs， this book covers with exquisite literary form， the wonderful applications of fungus to everyday world problems。 It also presents the biology of fungus in a captivating and entertaining fashio I really enjoyed reading this book， to an extent that has certainly exceeded my expectations。 I was never a mycology enthusiast and I certainly never realized how integral and important they are to nature in general and human societies specifically。 From beer to bread to mushroom bricks and mycelial chairs， this book covers with exquisite literary form， the wonderful applications of fungus to everyday world problems。 It also presents the biology of fungus in a captivating and entertaining fashion。 A must read for any nature or ecology fans who are still unaware of the realms of mushrooms underneath our feet。 。。。more

John Stepper ，

Genius！ This is my favorite I read so far this year。 The author opened my eyes and mind to whole new worlds I didn’t know existed。 He changed how I see and relate to all that’s around me。 And， to top it off， he writes in an incredibly charming， engaging way。 （The concluding chapter is my favorite， with words like “scrimping” and phrases like “yeast had moss certainly made a nonsense of me。” And the short glimpse of his father’s influence on his curiosity and low of nature made me love the whole Genius！ This is my favorite I read so far this year。 The author opened my eyes and mind to whole new worlds I didn’t know existed。 He changed how I see and relate to all that’s around me。 And， to top it off， he writes in an incredibly charming， engaging way。 （The concluding chapter is my favorite， with words like “scrimping” and phrases like “yeast had moss certainly made a nonsense of me。” And the short glimpse of his father’s influence on his curiosity and low of nature made me love the whole Sheldrake family :-））I can’t wait for his 2nd book。 :-） 。。。more

Arindam Das ，

Good and on the verge of being great。 Too much emphasis on the spiritual or philosophical argument of the place of fungi of our world for my liking。 However， being said that it is still an recommendation for someone interested in knocking more about exciting world or fungi

visa ，

Can i give this book a 10/5？？？This book was a wild ride！ It was interesting， inspiring and beautifully written！ Definitely would reread

Ismail Mayat ，

You will not look at the humble mushroom in the same way again。

Macy ，

Absolutely wonderful， full of incredible thought provoking data and discussion。 Really can’t say enough about how much this book made me think and question how I perceive the world around me。 The notes section along is chock full of discussion。 I have plenty of papers to read now from the bibliography。

Nadine ，

Similar to Spineless by Juli Berwald， we follow the author's fascination with the topic （fungi here， instead of jellyfish）， through interviews with researchers， home experiment and autobiography。 There is so much on this earth that I know very little about， and this was a beautiful introduction to the science and history of fungi。 I expected the encounter with Albert Hofmann in this book， but I did not expect the wide sweep all the way from Newton's discovery of gravity to Piketty's Capital and Similar to Spineless by Juli Berwald， we follow the author's fascination with the topic （fungi here， instead of jellyfish）， through interviews with researchers， home experiment and autobiography。 There is so much on this earth that I know very little about， and this was a beautiful introduction to the science and history of fungi。 I expected the encounter with Albert Hofmann in this book， but I did not expect the wide sweep all the way from Newton's discovery of gravity to Piketty's Capital and social economic theory， which were very much rightfully included in the text， surprisingly enough。 。。。more

Colleen ，

Sheldrake explores the paradigm shifts that have occurred as scientists explored the fungus kingdom。 He looks at the history， the fungiphobic cultures and the fungiphilic ones in Europe， especially truffle hunting in Italy。 He looks at how scientists first described the discovery that lichens are a shared lifeforms that includes an algae and at least one fungus （with maybe a bacteria included， too， according to DNA tracing）。 The first British scientists couldn't imagine an equal sharing of resou Sheldrake explores the paradigm shifts that have occurred as scientists explored the fungus kingdom。 He looks at the history， the fungiphobic cultures and the fungiphilic ones in Europe， especially truffle hunting in Italy。 He looks at how scientists first described the discovery that lichens are a shared lifeforms that includes an algae and at least one fungus （with maybe a bacteria included， too， according to DNA tracing）。 The first British scientists couldn't imagine an equal sharing of resources so assumed one organism had enslaved another。 It took decades for 'symbiosis' to catch on。 And it took decades for 'ecosystem' to be accepted as the way nutrients are delivered to plants because until researchers were able to label carbon radioactively and track where fungi were carrying sugars （from the 'mother trees' to the shaded seedlings）。 I'd already read about much of this research so nothing was a surprise and I was totally uninterested in his magic mushroom trip in a hospital experiment。 He was helping to answer the question， 'what does the fungus get from making people high？'。 The zombie ants and other fungal infections were one answer， reproduction。 It's unfortunate that humans are just getting the words and concepts for how the natural world actually works as our destruction of the ecosystem has unleashed a climate catastrophe that will destroy our civilization （by 2027， according to arctic climate researchers） if not our species。 Fungi， and whatever they pair up with will survive but not us。 'Mycoremediation' can work， but we don't have decades to accept the concept and apply it。 。。。more

Vicky P ，

Is probably going to be a top 5 of the "what-I-read-this-year" contender for me。 So so so good。 Philosophical， emotional， full of wonder for the natural world， invites you gently and empathetically to think about humanity and the rest of life in totally new perspectives。 It's hopeful？ It's fascinating？ I could give this thing a million compliments。 Please read this book。 Is probably going to be a top 5 of the "what-I-read-this-year" contender for me。 So so so good。 Philosophical， emotional， full of wonder for the natural world， invites you gently and empathetically to think about humanity and the rest of life in totally new perspectives。 It's hopeful？ It's fascinating？ I could give this thing a million compliments。 Please read this book。 。。。more

David ，

Interesting and thought provoking book。 It wasn't completely what I expected， but it generated enough interest in me to buy additional books about mushrooms so I consider it a successful read。I guess I expected more of a focus on different varieties of fungus， their biological structure， and unique insights。 I did some of that。 Sheldrake provides a good introduction to lichen and proceeds to explain the vast unseen role that fungus play in the world。 The focus on the book then shifts to a cultur Interesting and thought provoking book。 It wasn't completely what I expected， but it generated enough interest in me to buy additional books about mushrooms so I consider it a successful read。I guess I expected more of a focus on different varieties of fungus， their biological structure， and unique insights。 I did some of that。 Sheldrake provides a good introduction to lichen and proceeds to explain the vast unseen role that fungus play in the world。 The focus on the book then shifts to a cultural focus。 There is a dedicated chapter on psilocybin and how it has contributed to the spirituality of cultures over time。 It's interesting to hear how many of the more conservative religions we have today got their starts from early cultures tripping on shrooms。 The physiological explanation of psilocybin's effect on the human mind makes the whole affair much less scandalous and takes the stigma out of psychadelics。 Sheldrake then shares some interesting ways that fungus are being used in manufacturing。It's all interesting。。。when I say it wasn't what I expected I do not mean that in a negative way。 Just means that I have a couple more books to read until I've completely satisfied my curiosity。 Next up will be Mycelium Running followed by All That the Rain Promises and More。 。。。more

Joe ，

This is great。 It's as mind blowing as a brief history of time but for fungi This is great。 It's as mind blowing as a brief history of time but for fungi 。。。more

Baloobalab ，

A lover letter to mycelium。 Never would have thought a philosophical take on fungi could be so enthralling。 Merlin's writing is poetic yet informative。 The imagination runs wild after a taste of what fungi has to offer。。。（psilocybin amongst other things。。。） A lover letter to mycelium。 Never would have thought a philosophical take on fungi could be so enthralling。 Merlin's writing is poetic yet informative。 The imagination runs wild after a taste of what fungi has to offer。。。（psilocybin amongst other things。。。） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0