Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England Book

I've read some great books over the years. Books that have entertained me. Books that have informed me. Books that have moved me. Some to high orders of magnitude. Yet, elusive has been the experience of which I can claim - entirely absent of effusive smarm - to have witnessed, almost in real-time, a distinct reorganization of the foundational manner in which I approach a subject. That rare piece of writing which adds some semblance of grounding to all those exhausted phrases: "mind bending," "life changing," etc. James Ferguson's work always comes to mind in this regard. Maybe Richard Wright's Native Son too.

For anyone who has spent any amount of time in or around woodlands, Reading the Forested Landscape is sure to induce a similar sense of awe. Through incredibly accessible and economized text, Tom Wessels manages to transform the natural biome of New England from a piecemeal collection of largely overlooked organisms and structures into a breathtaking tapestry full of motion and history. Each chapter begins with the etching of a particular "scene" and then does marvelous work in giving the reader the adequate mindset, tools, and context needed to begin learning how to interact with the land and sleuth through the subtle patterns engraved in the natural world to uncover the mysteries of the forest.

Mr. Wessels' says the ultimate goal of his project is to leave the reader with "reverence, respect, a sense of inclusion, and accountability" regarding the landscape of the areas they call home. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who came away from this book not feeling just so.

Five stars.