To Speak for the Trees: My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest
- Downloads：7223
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-06 16:21:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- ISBN：B096DVV5M5
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Annarella
，
A mix of memoir， history， botanic and spirituality。 A thought provoking， emotionally charged and engrossing book that made me think and reflect。I loved the style of writing and it was an excellent reading experience。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine
Kara
，
This is a book I didn’t know I needed。 I saw Diana’s movie as a part of the International Herb Symposium and needed to know more。 This book has inspired me to change。 To do more in my garden and in my yard。 To pass on to my friends and family this message that was so thoughtfully passed on to Diana Beresford-Kroeger。 We must all speak for the trees。 A deeply moving book everyone should read。
Aaron Akbar
，
Interestingly divided between memoir and tree guide， I found I got the most out of the trees as seen through the Celtic Alphabet in the second half of the book。 But， that's not to say there wasn't treasure to be found in the first part。 It really served to convey the credibility that Diana has in putting forth this somewhat lost knowledge。 And， in that I think， it serves it's purpose well。 It was a great lens to see a glimpse of another way of living。 That being said， most of my notes came from Interestingly divided between memoir and tree guide， I found I got the most out of the trees as seen through the Celtic Alphabet in the second half of the book。 But， that's not to say there wasn't treasure to be found in the first part。 It really served to convey the credibility that Diana has in putting forth this somewhat lost knowledge。 And， in that I think， it serves it's purpose well。 It was a great lens to see a glimpse of another way of living。 That being said， most of my notes came from the wonderful description and medicinal uses of the sacred trees described at the end。 。。。more
Cheryl
，
I would have gone 5 stars， but felt it a bit misleading， as very little Celtic Wisdom is actually shared。 Her parents divorced early and she lives with her uninvolved mother。 Both patents come from families of notation， but it hardly gives benefit。 When they both die， while she is only in her early teens， she is taken in by an even more unenvolved uncle。 But there is salvation！ Summers are spent with relatives living remotely on their farm， working the land and keeping the “old ways” alive。 Here I would have gone 5 stars， but felt it a bit misleading， as very little Celtic Wisdom is actually shared。 Her parents divorced early and she lives with her uninvolved mother。 Both patents come from families of notation， but it hardly gives benefit。 When they both die， while she is only in her early teens， she is taken in by an even more unenvolved uncle。 But there is salvation！ Summers are spent with relatives living remotely on their farm， working the land and keeping the “old ways” alive。 Here is where her Celtic Wisdom is instilled （tho not so much to us） by the townspeople and fellow farmers。 Schooling sparks a scientific interest that leads to a college education in biochemistry。 Loving the earth and all its offerings， she becomes an eco-warrior， of sorts， and uses her credentials and status to fight for the forests， waterways and inhabitants。 Lots of bravo events and one can’t help but admire her dedication。 Still， I yearned for some shared Druidic lore。 That mostly came in the final section where the Ogham is described and interesting facts about each tree in it given。 Worth it for that section alone， tho the preemptive was interesting， as well。 。。。more
Joann Im
，
A moving tribute to the beauty， wonder and the important role trees contribute to our wellbeing and to our planet。 Diana Beresford-Kroeger， a world-renowned medical biochemist and botanist shares her wisdom of trees in the scope of science and medicine as well as the ancient spiritual realm from her Celtic ancestors。 This is Beresford-Kroeger's autobiography。 It chronicles her life from being an orphan to living with her uncle and her upbringing from farmers and scholars in the Lisheens valley i A moving tribute to the beauty， wonder and the important role trees contribute to our wellbeing and to our planet。 Diana Beresford-Kroeger， a world-renowned medical biochemist and botanist shares her wisdom of trees in the scope of science and medicine as well as the ancient spiritual realm from her Celtic ancestors。 This is Beresford-Kroeger's autobiography。 It chronicles her life from being an orphan to living with her uncle and her upbringing from farmers and scholars in the Lisheens valley in County Cork， who took her under their wing and how she became the last ward under the Brehon Law。 In the course of three summers， Beresford-Kroeger was taught the Celtic wisdom， which included the healing， laws of the trees， Brehon wisdom and the Ogham alphabet。 The Celtic wisdom is rooted in nature and perceives trees and forests fundamental to human survival and spirituality。 Through Beresford-Kroeger's upbringing， she felt like she could be the bridge between ancient knowledge and the modern scientific world。 Due to several barriers in her career as a female scientist， she conducted self-guided research in biochemistry and medicinal use in trees from her own backyard laboratory。 Through her extensive research and her anecdotal stories， it offers the significance of medicine trees provide， the connectivity in nature， and the essential role trees play in combating carbon problems。 This is an essential read in our current state of climate crisis and how the trees can pave a path to a more sustainable future。 Beresford-Kroeger beautifully and respectfully lends a voice for the trees and nature。 Her optimism and her drive to save the planet is very hopeful and inspirational。 Amidst her traumatic past experience， she uses her knowledge and her energy for positive change。 That made her so much more remarkable and respectable。 Her knowledge of the trees and the nature surrounding us was very informative and fascinating。 The writing was factually scientific yet poetic。 I enjoyed the anecdotes surrounding the significance of the trees and Beresford-Kroeger's moments of courage in protecting the truth and her search for near extinct sacred plants。 The way she is attuned to nature is phenomenal。 She presents us with insights into trees and our relationships to forests， but takes further steps by providing us with a resourceful detail of her global bioplan that would contribute to combating climate change。 It is a step to healing and saving our planet。 Her perseverance and optimism is a leading example that should awake us to finally take action to save our home。 This extraordinary work definitely increased awareness of my surroundings， the connectivity and the appreciation and respect to nature and especially trees for providing so much for our wellbeing。 Thank you to NetGalley and Timber Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ellen
，
This book， this woman， captivated me。 From the story of her crushingly difficult early childhood， through her journey into the landscape of Celtic spirituality， and finishing with her dedication to preserving and restoring the the global forest that has sustained us and yet may save us， her passion， brilliance， and mystical connection to Nature all make for a mesmerizing and an inspiring read。
Claire Howlin
，
I love the way the author uses science to back up this book and much of it her own breakthroughs。 The way she interlinks the science with personal life was refreshing。
Heather Connell
，
I walked into this book without expectations or hearing anything about it other then from a Bookstagram account that had a super brief review。 I really enjoyed the mix of Irish Celtic wisdom with the science aspects from a botanist and biochemist。 If you are trying to get anyone to understand why trees are not only vital for our clean air but the homes of many species and how they provided nutrients into the water for sea life and how we are not only committing genocide by clear cutting forests I walked into this book without expectations or hearing anything about it other then from a Bookstagram account that had a super brief review。 I really enjoyed the mix of Irish Celtic wisdom with the science aspects from a botanist and biochemist。 If you are trying to get anyone to understand why trees are not only vital for our clean air but the homes of many species and how they provided nutrients into the water for sea life and how we are not only committing genocide by clear cutting forests the world over but we are actively choosing to end our lives by decimating the very place that gives us our life with cold callousness in the capitalistic game countries are trying to win。 It’s shameful， terrifying and yet hopeful。 We can make a difference we can stop the massacre if we do it together。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Quincy Bruckerhoff
，
This is a charming little book best done as audio so you can enjoy the authors Gaelic pronunciation。
Xerxia
，
An interesting memoir， the author weaves tales from her childhood summers of Celtic natural and mystical instruction with her later life in the natural sciences and our current looming climate catastrophe。 Not all of it works， but most of it is engaging enough to have kept me turning the pages。
Silas
，
I expected this to be a lot more a collection of Celtic tree knowledge than it turned out to be。 It is mostly a memoir with a bit of that peppered in （about the amount you might find in a Wicca 101 book）， along with a similar amount of botanical knowledge。 That was a more interesting perspective for me， but ultimately， I thought I was getting more of a book on trees， and I instead got a memoir， and I didn't really have much interest in a memoir。 Even having listened to the memoir， it only really I expected this to be a lot more a collection of Celtic tree knowledge than it turned out to be。 It is mostly a memoir with a bit of that peppered in （about the amount you might find in a Wicca 101 book）， along with a similar amount of botanical knowledge。 That was a more interesting perspective for me， but ultimately， I thought I was getting more of a book on trees， and I instead got a memoir， and I didn't really have much interest in a memoir。 Even having listened to the memoir， it only really covered the author's childhood， with very little information about her later life， so it felt fairly incomplete， and there was a smattering of tree knowledge at the end， that didn't even cover the whole Ogham。 This book came highly recommended to me， and I was disappointed to try to ask for a refund， which I rarely do。 。。。more
Justine
，
Incredible！
smalltownbookmom
，
An incredible memoir from an Irish-Canadian botanist and climate change activist about her life growing up in Ireland， becoming orphaned and how trees and books gave her hope and meaning。 I also really enjoyed her stories about life in academia in Canada and just how hard it was for women scientists to get taken seriously。 Lots of anecdotes about her adventures planting， growing and searching for rare species of trees。 My favorite was definitely her hanging out of a helicopter in Texas trying to An incredible memoir from an Irish-Canadian botanist and climate change activist about her life growing up in Ireland， becoming orphaned and how trees and books gave her hope and meaning。 I also really enjoyed her stories about life in academia in Canada and just how hard it was for women scientists to get taken seriously。 Lots of anecdotes about her adventures planting， growing and searching for rare species of trees。 My favorite was definitely her hanging out of a helicopter in Texas trying to track down what was believed to be the last tree of its kind。 An incredible woman with so much wisdom to share！ Highly recommended for any lover of trees or fans of nature memoirs like Finding the mother tree and Braiding sweetgrass。 Excellent on audio read by the author with her transporting Irish accent。Favorite quote:"From my first proper introduction to trees。。。I was enchanted by them。 The trees I knew were the most wonderous and dependable beings in my life and I was eager to meet more of them and learn about each one。" 。。。more
Angela HS
，
An enjoyable read full of factoids that you’ll want to share with others。 I read this during a visit to the Pacific Northwest where I was surrounded by pine trees — and that was absolutely the perfect setting。 I gained so much more respect and awe for trees， as well as a deeper understanding of the crucial role they play in human existence。
Elizabeth
，
Interesting memoir of a rare type of scientist with an open mind to traditional knowledge
Cathryn Wellner
，
I was expecting another book as fascinating as The Hidden Life of Trees。 It was that， but it was also a delicious surprise because of the author’s Celtic roots。 Her considerable scientific acumen has a surprisingly solid connection to the teachings of those who passed on ancient knowledge to her。 She shares the fascinating story of her difficult but enriching childhood， her years in science and her disillusionment with academia。 She writes like a storyteller， and I will definitely return to the I was expecting another book as fascinating as The Hidden Life of Trees。 It was that， but it was also a delicious surprise because of the author’s Celtic roots。 Her considerable scientific acumen has a surprisingly solid connection to the teachings of those who passed on ancient knowledge to her。 She shares the fascinating story of her difficult but enriching childhood， her years in science and her disillusionment with academia。 She writes like a storyteller， and I will definitely return to the book to absorb more of her knowledge。 。。。more
Ginger Beer
，
Listened to the audiobook as I walked down the lanes， along tree lined fields。。。。LOVE this book， and loved the author reading it to me。 Beautifully written， lyrical， scientific， honest， captivating， so much。。。。 am off to buy the hardcopy as this is one I will back to again and again。Oh - and I am off to plant more trees， we are tree planters anyway but now I feel a connection to the book and Diana through our plantings， trees will save the world。Love Trees xxx
Bonnye Reed
，
Netgalleypub date October 12， 2021Timber Press NOT a Kindle Book - read in Netgalley app
Rachel Mantas
，
One of the best books I have read all year， as a non-fiction title。 This was an educational read and I would recommend this to anyone。 She goes into detail about past ways we look at trees and the way scientist look at forests today。 It was more and more detail。 The only thing I would have changed is how she laid out the tree alphabet at the end。 It was confusing， and I would have preferred a full list on one page either at the start or the end of the book。
Bob
，
I am conflicted about this book。 On the one hand， it is an inspiring and fascinating story about an extraordinary life from privilege to tragedy to academic excellence to dedication to saving the world through trees。 However， aside from my concern that faith in trees to save us may excessively narrow our focus， since much biodiversity and potential to fight the climate crisis is elsewhere， I cannot take the author's pronouncements at face value because there are a number of statements in the boo I am conflicted about this book。 On the one hand， it is an inspiring and fascinating story about an extraordinary life from privilege to tragedy to academic excellence to dedication to saving the world through trees。 However， aside from my concern that faith in trees to save us may excessively narrow our focus， since much biodiversity and potential to fight the climate crisis is elsewhere， I cannot take the author's pronouncements at face value because there are a number of statements in the book that are questionable， which undermines my confidence about the rest。 For example:p。104 “chlorella， the unicells with which photosynthesis began， to algae…” but chlorella is an algal plant， and photosynthesis began in cyanobacteria over a billion years before the first plant。p。124 “Trees have the neural ability to listen and think;…That’s what I proved: that forests can think” But proving that trees have chemicals that are also in our brains does not prove that trees can think， let alone that forests can think。p。135 “many species of black walnuts” but black walnut is a single species。 Perhaps “specimens” rather than ‘species’ was intended。p。152 “…Indigenous peoples， who made a kind of cheese， and oil， a milk， a cream and an alcoholic beverage all from the [hickory] nuts， and consequently did not appear to suffer the multitude of brain diseases we have today。” Although nuts are generally accepted to be healthy foods， is there any solid evidence for any connection between consumption of products of hickory nuts and mental disease？ No。p。176 “PEI’s environmental protection act …for such at-risk species as the long-billed curlew” but that species is a bird of the prairies and would be an extreme rarity in PEI， if it has ever been seen there at all。p。199 “All of the seafaring nations of the north made extensive use of the birch， from the birchbark canoes of North America to the curach of the Celts。” But this is only true if “the north” does not include the vast areas north of the tree line。 Inuit are a great seafaring people who did not use birch， at least for boats， because their land did not contain birch of significant size。 People of the BC and Alaska coast also had and have other materials for their vessels。p。226 “The hawthorn … its name in Latin is Crataegus monogyna。” This is the name of the one-seeded hawthorn native to Europe， an invasive species in Ontario， but hawthorn is a genus of many species。p。229 “The Irish Yew， Taxus baccata” Taxus baccata is generally known as European or Common Yew， by no means restricted to Ireland。 One variety of it is known as Irish Yewp。231 “The yew， Taxus baccata， is a medicinal tree， as are the other seven species in its genus” Wikipedia lists 12 or more species in Taxus。p。 266 “it provided animal bedding and fencing for cattle and heifers” but heifers are cattle， specifically cows that have not yet calved。 。。。more
Linda Brunner
，
An unusual and much needed perspective on the natural world and trees in particular that combines both the left brain training of a scientist with the spirit of a mystic。I felt a kindred spirit here。
Katie
，
I enjoyed this book although I'm not as ecstatic as other reviewers。 I'd give it 3。5 stars if I could。 It was a little confusing to me， the odd mix of ancient Celtic roots with modern science。 It felt a little jarring at times as the author would jump between the two at random moments。 The overall arc of the narrative was fascinating and I will certainly pick up more of her books。 I'm so glad that there are scientists passionate about botany and doing the work of preserving our trees and forests I enjoyed this book although I'm not as ecstatic as other reviewers。 I'd give it 3。5 stars if I could。 It was a little confusing to me， the odd mix of ancient Celtic roots with modern science。 It felt a little jarring at times as the author would jump between the two at random moments。 The overall arc of the narrative was fascinating and I will certainly pick up more of her books。 I'm so glad that there are scientists passionate about botany and doing the work of preserving our trees and forests。 The author is clearly dedicated to the work and I'm glad she is getting so much attention she can turn to these issues。One thing that made me sad is that it is a unclear to me how the author， who was entrusted with the wisdom of the ancient Irish Celtic tradition， is living into that responsibility。 Obviously she has translated the feeling of the Celtic tradition into her love of trees and nature。 But what of the other knowledge that will die with her？ Is she passing that on in some way？ Is she still connected to the community that raised her？ Is there a new interest in these topics in Ireland？ There is such a smattering of the ancient traditions in this book that it isn't really intended to preserve the Celtic knowledge itself and it was never directly addressed。 It was confusing to me。I loved the stories of the author hunting down specimens of nearly-extinct trees。 It made me happy。 Had I taken another course in life， I would be doing that too！My only other gripe is that the author misrepresents the Celtic world a bit。 She suggests that the Celtic world started in ancient Ireland and Scotland and spread out from there， when current scholarship actually indicates the opposite。 She also speaks in very general terms about "the Celts" when she is really only talking about Irish-Celtic heritage。 There are， of course， many similarities to Celtic traditions in Scotland， Wales， Brittany， and other areas。 However， they aren't necessarily all the same。 Although I love reading about anything Celtic， particularly to someone who learned directly from the old traditions， this mushiness irked me。 Also， despite what other reviewers have said， the Druids are rarely mentioned and this is really about traditional Irish-Celtic everyday life。The Ogham alphabet in the back of the book is wonderful。 I wish there was some consistent structure between the entries， but that's an editing issue， not a writing issue。 。。。more
Joni Russell
，
I love this book。 It is now included on my "favorites" bookshelf。 This book is informative and well written。 The subject matter is delightful and inspiring。 I love this book。 It is now included on my "favorites" bookshelf。 This book is informative and well written。 The subject matter is delightful and inspiring。 。。。more
Sydney
，
To Speak for the Trees: My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest found me during my current journey of starting to think about a graduate thesis amidst a tear of reading about climate change and environmentalism。 The book called to me， containing the perfect combination of my interests: Ireland， the environment， and female empowerment。 And - at least for the first part of the book - it certainly delivered。Beresford-Kroger's memoir includes an account of her To Speak for the Trees: My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest found me during my current journey of starting to think about a graduate thesis amidst a tear of reading about climate change and environmentalism。 The book called to me， containing the perfect combination of my interests: Ireland， the environment， and female empowerment。 And - at least for the first part of the book - it certainly delivered。Beresford-Kroger's memoir includes an account of her life as an orphan， growing up with her reserved， academic uncle and spending her summers on a farm in Ireland。 Much of her story includes accounts of her informal education while living there - she was taught ancient Celtic traditions， such as the celebration of Bealtaine， and was also shown how to care for the land。 She was a WWOOFer before the times。 She touches on her research on the interconnectedness and importance of trees in sustaining human life， the ancient Irish attitude towards nature， and her experience as a woman proving herself over and over in a male-dominated， academic field。 Basically， this woman became my hero。 Alas， I eventually read the second part of the book。 This section includes a chapter for each letter of the Ogham alphabet， each letter representing a tree。 I totally understand why she would put this in the book - it brought together everything she had touched on in the earlier section and showed her knowledge on the value of trees。 However， after a number of quaint stories about her life in Ireland and her grand explanation of trees as the cure to climate change， this section felt like a bit of a let-down。 Set up more like a guide or reference book， each tree （or letter） was described for its medicinal uses， why it was （and still is） important to the Irish people， and other biological features to the plant。 While all of this information is useful and was interesting enough， I did not find the reading of it to be "calming" or "spiritual" as I read in some reviews。 Nonetheless， I give this book four stars for the first part alone and am reminded why I am soon to be a Master's student in literature and not a botanist。 。。。more
Sarah
，
Absolutely love this book。 Don't be put off by the language 'sacred' and 'ancient celtic wisdom' if like me a little part of you cringes at this， I think it is just a testament to how far we have become removed from early forms of intellectual inquiry。 Diana really shows the amazing connection between how ancient celts had this unbelievable understanding of the natural environment and the properties of plants all without access to modern forms of scientific inquiry。I generally pass on books to f Absolutely love this book。 Don't be put off by the language 'sacred' and 'ancient celtic wisdom' if like me a little part of you cringes at this， I think it is just a testament to how far we have become removed from early forms of intellectual inquiry。 Diana really shows the amazing connection between how ancient celts had this unbelievable understanding of the natural environment and the properties of plants all without access to modern forms of scientific inquiry。I generally pass on books to friends that I like but this one will stay on my shelf to reference all the amazing nuggets of info about trees and nature again。 。。。more
Maureen
，
Not quite what I thought it would be。
Diane
，
Quite an amazing story and a fascinating read。 I highly recommend。
Adrienne
，
4。5
Duffy
，
The most important book I've read。 I live in boreal forest and was surprised of its world effect。 The most important book I've read。 I live in boreal forest and was surprised of its world effect。 。。。more
Mardi
，