The Overstory
by Richard Powers · first published 2018
83% recommend13% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Pulitzer-winning novel of intertwined human lives built around trees and forests, with well-researched tree science and fine prose; it shifts how readers see nature and suits anyone who loves trees.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Overstory unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fable that range from antebellum New York to the late-twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. An Air Force loadmaster in the Vietnam War is shot out of the sky, then saved by falling into a banyan. An artist inherits a hundred years of photographic portraits, all of the same doomed American chestnut. A hard-partying undergraduate in the late 1980s electrocutes herself, dies, and is sent back into life by creatures of air and light. A hearing- and speech-impaired scientist discovers that trees are communicati
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The Overstory by Richard Powers: this book changed the way I look at trees. I'll be driving some days and out of nowhere notice a tree and appreciate it. This book inspired me to consider that there is an objective…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗The Overstory by Richard Powers. A few touching stories about trees and Americans. One of the best things I've read this decade, perhaps this lifetime.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗Read Richard Power's novel the Over Story [https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/039...] to read much and much more about the fascinating life cycle of redwood giants.
on “Arborists are bringing the “dinosaur of trees” back to life” ↗Fantastic short story about the American Chestnut in the book Overstory by Richard Powers.
on “American chestnut tree in Centreville is the 'holy grail' for conservationists” ↗The article mentions Overstory by Richard Powers It's an amazing book. https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/039...
on “Living Near Trees, Not Just Green Space, Improves Wellbeing” ↗The Overstory by Richard Powers is an incredible read. It's a story about trees and humans -- and how they are connected in untold ways. The writing is truly fantastic and you learn a massive amount about the magic…
on “Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?” ↗As a West Coast native, I wasn't familiar with this rather significant piece of American Natural History, until I started reading The Overstory, by Richard Powers. I highly recommend the book, it features several heartfelt narratives about the various people who have come to this country to start their own 'roots'. I hope we can help the American…
on “The demise and potential revival of the American chestnut” ↗Same; reading Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers (which deserved its Pulitzer) was a profound experience. Trees are amazing.
on “The demise and potential revival of the American chestnut” ↗…Park system where we have a mandate, however misguided regarding traditional indigenous human involvement, to preserve in perpetuity). The shooting is just to get leaves down for testing. I recommend Overstory by Richard Powers if you’re looking to cultivate a deeper appreciation for trees. It starts with a story about a chestnut tree spanning generations of a sod-busting farm family. What tree-related books…
on “Scientist shoots trees to study how they migrate” ↗Also "Overstory: A Novel" by Richard Powers; profound, transformative... words fail me.
on “A popular household fern may be the first known eusocial plant” ↗I feel ya here. My family has owned a couple nice parcels of rural property for years and I just kind of took it for granted. A few years ago I read The Overstory by Richard Powers and it really fired up my interest in nature and trees. I can't walk anymore without trying to identify every tree in the woods. It's humbling how much longer some of the older ones…
on “Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)” ↗…so lovely that I have purchased and given copies to my nerdy-wordy friends more than any other. It sticks in my head and I still think about it in some way almost every week. "Bewilderment" and "The Overstory" by Richard Powers. OK, to be frank, anything by Richard Powers is worthy of your attention. There are very few authors working today who can construct prose like this man. Perhaps his work is not for…
on “Ask HN: Best Contemporary SF Books” ↗The Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers richly earned its Pulitzer. Highest possible recommendation.
on “Intelligence is everywhere: From AI to cephalopods” ↗The book that sprang into mind is The Overstory by Richard Powers [0] Fantastic book but all the CMN communication and nutrient sharing seemed a bit too fantastical there too. [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Overstory
on “Where the Wood-Wide Web Went Wrong” ↗Overstory: A Novel, by Richard Powers, richly deserved its Pulitzer. Highest possible recommendation, for anyone remotely interested in trees or storytelling or literature.
on “Plants communicate with each other when in danger” ↗