The most impactful books are those that bring world inside of them to life in vivid detail. In Hope Jahren’s “Lab Girl,” the world brought to life is our own. However, rather than conveying a human-centric story, Jahren focuses on an often-forgotten character: plants. Jahren is a geochemist and geobiologist, and “Lab Girl” is a cross between a memoir and a textbook explaining the intricacies of plant life. The most memorable excerpts are those where plants are personified, from the stories ingrained in wood to the miracles of the resurrection plant. This book transformed my understanding of the natural world, which has expanded my interests in biology and impacted the way I interact with the environment.
Growing up, I had very little interest
Growing up, I had very little interest