
- 200 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Divining, a Memoir in Trees
About this book
Essays exploring the intimate yet universal intersection of one human life with trees.
A 2024 selection by the Sierra Club, Wisconsin Chapter Book Club
Finalist for the Midwest Book Awards!
In sixteen essays, each named after a species of tree, Maureen Dunphy explores the nature of human-arboreal relationships, and how each of these trees has—literally—served as a friend, a confidante, or a place to rest. The depth and diversity of these relationships are revealed through essays that are both intimate and universal, moving and informative. While Dunphy's relationships with trees are unique and personal, her work reveals the deep-rooted complexity that connects all of humanity to our staunch, upright companions in life, the members of the "Standing Nation." Beyond providing oxygen, food, and shelter, trees can be sites of emotional refuge, sources of intellectual enrichment, and a boon to physical, mental, and spiritual health.
With essays, such as "Stairway to Heaven: The American Sycamore" and "Rocky Mountain High: The Colorado Pinyon, " Dunphy gives readers many ways to reimagine our relationships with nature and self. Within reflections of her personal experience, she skillfully integrates scientific facts to achieve a balance of passion and practicality. While technology, screens, and the stress of the modern world directs our attention elsewhere, Dunphy brings the reader back to the trees right outside our windows.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. TREE
- 2. Stairway to Heaven: The American Sycamore
- 3. The Boundary Oak: The White Oak
- 4. Another Notable Night: The Eastern White Pine
- 5. Twin Volunteers Host a Murderer: The Eastern Redcedar
- 6. The Shade: The Northern White-Cedar
- 7. Bones and Skeletons: White Ash, Green Ash
- 8. From Royalty to Immigrant: The English Oak
- 9. Pages from the Cottonwood Calendar: The Eastern Cottonwood
- 10. The Mother’s Day Tree: The Ginkgo
- 11. The Flowering of 2020: The Silver Maple
- 12. Heartwood: The Sweetgum
- 13. Massacre in the Grove: The American Beech
- 14. Rocky Mountain High: The Colorado Pinyon
- 15. In Memoriam: The Eastern Redbud
- 16. Puzzle Pieces: The Japanese Zelkova
- Appendix A: The Trees
- Appendix B: The Old-Growth Forests of Michigan
- Notes
- Further Reading
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author