Who Would Like This Book:
If you love immersive adventure stories with a scientific twist, "The Wild Trees" might just sweep you off your feet. Richard Preston brings to life the secret world high in the redwood canopies, unveiling not only fascinating facts about these behemoth trees but also the quirky, passionate people obsessed with climbing them. Fans of narrative nonfiction - especially those who enjoy tales of discovery, nature, or oddball explorers - will be hooked. It’s a blend of biography, natural history, and pulse-quickening adventure that reveals an unseen world above the forest floor.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you're seeking a purely scientific deep-dive into the ecology of redwood canopies, you might feel let down - this book focuses as much on the climbers' personal lives as it does on the trees. The storytelling sometimes jumps between characters and timelines, which can be confusing for those who like a straightforward structure. Others found the writing style occasionally clunky or felt there was too much personal drama and not enough leafy science. If detailed natural history is what you're after, or you prefer tightly edited prose, this may not be your cup of tea.
About:
'The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring' by Richard Preston is a nonfiction account that follows the adventures of climbers exploring the redwoods of California, uncovering a hidden world of biodiversity in the forest canopies. The narrative weaves together tales of danger, suspense, and discovery as these climbers delve into the unexplored realms of the redwood canopy, encountering unique species of flora and fauna, mini ecosystems, and undiscovered life forms. Preston's writing style is described as novelistic, detailing the immense new world found high up in the ancient redwoods.
delves into the lives of the climbers who are obsessed with the giant trees, showcasing their fear, bravery, dedication, and knowledge as they navigate the challenges of exploring the redwood canopies. Through Preston's narrative, readers are introduced to the rich biodiversity present in the treetops, the personal stories of the explorers, and the significance of scientific discovery in uncovering the mysteries of the redwoods. not only educates about the unique ecosystem of the redwoods but also inspires a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world.
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From The Publisher:
Hidden away in foggy, uncharted rain forest valleys in Northern California are the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained - the coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens. The biggest redwoods are over a thousand years old, rising more than thirty-five stories in what's left of the once-vast ancient redwood forest. Believed to be impossible to ascend, these majestic giants have remained unexplored until recently Š when a tiny group of daring botanists and amateur naturalists discovered a lost, dangerous and hauntingly beautiful world high above California.
In The Wild Trees, Richard Preston unfolds the spellbinding story of these young voyagers who risk everything to explore the redwood canopy, where the massive trees form flying buttresses and cathedral-like structures in the air. They find a vertical Eden of hanging gardens and rare creatures, an untouched paradise where it's possible to stretch hammocks between tree branches and make love 300 feet in the air. But as they move through the treetops suspended on ropes, far out of sight of the ground, these young adventurers know that the smallest mistake can result in a plunge to one's death.
Preston mastered the techniques of tall-tree climbing to recount the discovery of this amazing world - a grand adventure by turns terrifying, moving, and fascinating, from a master of nonfiction narrative.
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About the Author:
Richard Preston has written nine books, including The Hot Zone, The Demon in the Freezer, and The Wild Trees. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages, and most of them have first appeared as articles in The New Yorker. Preston has won numerous awards, including the American Institute of Physics Award and the National Magazine Award. He's also the only person not a medical doctor ever to receive the Centers for Disease Control's Champion of Prevention Award for public health. An asteroid is named "Preston" after him. (Asteroid Preston is a ball of rock three miles in diameter, traveling on a wild orbit near Mars.) Richard Preston lives outside New York City with his wife, Michelle. They have three children.
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