This is not typical of a book I would read, but it received excellent reviews and I was interested to read about a female scientist from rural Minnesota. For someone who is trained in scientific writing, Dr. Jahren is a damn fine writer of prose for the general public! I wish she had been one of my science teachers in college because she writes about plant life and evolution in a way that I actually understood and found interesting. The book chapters cleverly alternate between information about trees that foreshadow the next chapter about the author’s life.Hope Jahren is born in rural Minnesota to a difficult mother and a father who teaches science at a local college. She spends much of her childhood in her father’s lab and she is encouraged to explore and learn. Unfortunately, her upbringing does not prepare her for social relationships an the world at large. She receives her doctorate from Berkeley, where she also meets her lifelong friend and lab partner Bill. They have a unique, hard to define, but totally accepting relationship. Dr. Jahren takes Bill with her to Georgia and her first teaching and research job. They traverse the US and ultimately end up in Norway. Along the way, she marries, has a son, and faces her own mental demons. All while she comes into her own as a scientist.The biology lessons were wonderful and easy to understand. The book is a fascinating look into the dedication, tenacity, and humor required to achieve your goals. I enjoyed this book tremendously! I learned things and I will also have a new appreciation for the trees and plants in my yard and my community.