The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger

The clock is ticking, and there are about two weeks left until the end of the year—or in other words, two more book recommendations before the end of 2024.

This week, I am bringing something completely new. It’s a new experience for me personally because, for the first time ever, I’ve read a book on a subject that I can’t say I was very interested in before. That’s not to say the topic isn’t interesting or that I don’t care about it, but I never saw myself going out of my way to purchase a book about it.

It’s the first time I’ve ever read this type of book. Yet, while reading it, I couldn’t stop talking about it to anyone and everyone within shouting distance.

The book recommendation for this week is called "The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth" by Zoë Schlanger.

You might initially wonder why anyone would want to read a book about plants or ecology. I’ll say this: if you’ve followed my book recommendations, and any of them have intrigued you before, I hope you’ll trust me when I say this is one of the best books I’ve read all year.

Zoë Schlanger is an award-winning environment and science reporter. This book dives deep into recent scientific discoveries that challenge traditional perceptions—my own included—of what plant life really is and what it means. It’s been a true eye-opener for me.

Think about how long it has taken for the idea of animal rights to take hold, and even now, it’s tenuous. People are just beginning to understand that animals have feelings, experience pain, and exhibit signs of intelligence. Plants, however, are likely the least respected living beings on this earth. Nobody thinks twice about chopping down a tree, plucking a flower, or destroying vegetation. Plants are often overlooked entirely.

Schlanger’s book explores groundbreaking discoveries about plant communication and their interactions with the environment and each other. For instance, some plants can release chemical signals to warn surrounding plants—whether close by or far away—about potential insect attacks. These neighboring plants can then modify their biology, making their leaves bitter or even toxic, preparing themselves for the impending threat. That’s incredible!

Another example is how some plants can sense an insect attacking them and generate chemical signals to attract the predator of that insect. It’s as if the plant formulates a specific response based on the type of insect feeding on it. That’s mind-blowing.

The book also delves into how plants detect and respond to light, sound, touch, and even gravity. There’s a fascinating experiment where researchers tested how plant roots “listen” for water. In a setup where one side of a forked path had no water, but the other side had only the sound of running water, the roots consistently grew toward the sound. These insights show plants’ incredible ability to adapt and survive.

Even more intriguing is the research suggesting that plants can store memories, learn from experiences, and adjust their behavior accordingly. For example, certain plants can time the movement of their stems to align with the arrival of pollinators like bees, conserving energy by only moving when necessary. If the pollinators change their visitation frequency, the plants adapt their timing.

What’s remarkable about this book is that, despite being grounded in science, it doesn’t read like a dry scientific text. Schlanger weaves a beautiful narrative, taking readers on a journey across the globe, interviewing scientists and sharing their groundbreaking work. It’s engaging and thought-provoking.

By the time I finished the book, I had a new appreciation for nature and the interconnectedness of all living things—humans, animals, plants, and even bacteria. It sparked a genuine curiosity in me to learn more about how these ecosystems function and how their balance impacts life on earth.

This book is undoubtedly one of the best I’ve read this year. Since this is the second-to-last book recommendation of 2024, I’ll tell you now that my final recommendation will likely include a roundup of my top five or six books of the year. I’m sure this one will make the list.

The book recommendation for this week is "The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth" by Zoë Schlanger. I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s a fantastic read, beautifully written, and filled with fascinating facts about plants that you probably didn’t know before. I hope you enjoy it.

As always, keep reading.