Readin' Vegans--"The Nation of Plants"

For our August 22 online book club, we'll discuss THE NATION OF PLANTS, by Stefano Mancuso (Other Press, 2021). You need not have attended a previous discussion to join us for this one. We'll discuss the book until about 8:00, followed by open conversation. If you'd like to read ahead: Sept. 26 -- For Banned Books Week, read one or more from the American Library Association's list of frequently challenged books: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 Oct. 24 -- Once upon a Time We Ate Animals, by Roanne van Voorst Nov. 28 -- The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83-1/4 Years Old, by Hendrik Groen The Zoom link to the discussion is posted on the right, visible to those who RSVP. PLEASE NOTE: THIS LINK DISAPPEARS AT THE MEETUP START TIME, THAT IS, 7:00 PM. We'll be available from 6:50 on to help anyone who might need extra time to connect. You will need a computer, laptop, smartphone or other device with internet access. It's pretty easy; if you're curious, check out https://zoom.us/. If you can't get on, call us at 303-300-2368. We hope to "see" you there! ------------------------------------------ About The Nation of Plants : In this playful yet informative manifesto, a leading plant neurobiologist presents the eight fundamental pillars on which the life of plants—and by extension, humans—rests. Even if they behave as though they were, humans are not the masters of the Earth, but only one of its most irksome residents. From the moment of their arrival, about three hundred thousand years ago—nothing when compared to the history of life on our planet—humans have succeeded in changing the conditions of the planet so drastically as to make it a dangerous place for their own survival. The causes of this reckless behavior are in part inherent in their predatory nature, but they also depend on our total incomprehension of the rules that govern a community of living beings. We behave like children who wreak havoc, unaware of the significance of the things they are playing with. In The Nation of Plants , the most important, widespread, and powerful nation on Earth finally gets to speak. Like attentive parents, plants, after making it possible for us to live, have come to our aid once again, giving us their rules: the first Universal Declaration of Rights of Living Beings written by the plants. A short charter based on the general principles that regulate the common life of plants, it establishes norms applicable to all living beings. Compared to our constitutions, which place humans at the center of the entire juridical reality, in conformity with an anthropocentrism that reduces to things all that is not human, plants offer us a revolution. Since 2001, Stefano Mancuso has been a professor at the University of Florence, and in 2005 he founded the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, designed to study physiology, behavior, molecular biology, intelligence, and other fields of plant science. “Mancuso writes playfully; as manifestos go, he knows, his is deeply weird…But this is peculiarity with a purpose. The conceit, an impassioned argument from collectivized flora that cites both atmospheric emissions and anthropocentric despair, forces readers to ask elemental questions. Who—and what—deserves moral consideration when the fate of one species is so often the fate of another? Mancuso’s plants, in the end, make some very good points.” — The Atlantic “A renowned scientist delivers a simple yet urgent call to action on behalf of Earth’s multitude of plants…[a] powerful book…Mancuso concludes his elegant and cogent argument with straightforward advice accessible to anyone…Insightful and arresting, this book offers an achievable road map to a more ‘radiant future.’” — Kirkus Reviews “A marvelously inventive spur to imagination. Plants have many lessons to offer us about thriving and resilience, and these are wonderfully elucidated in this deep green journey.” —David George Haskell, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Forest Unseen and John Burroughs Medal recipient for The Songs of Tree “In this brief book, Stefano Mancuso offers what may be the most original solution to the troubling age of humans. What if it were plants, rather than humans, who wrote a constitution for Earthly survival? Mancuso’s innovative manifesto is a set of principles for living according to the botanical world. He imagines a new political order based not on the survival of the fittest, but rather on life in community, mutual aid, freedom from borders, and sovereignty for all living beings. In this engaging read, the plant philosopher pushes readers to see how much our survival depends on the well-being of the Nation of Plants—and gives us a radical guide to living according to the rules of life’s unsung heroes.” —Elizabeth Hennessy, author of On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden *** ***