Sweet in Tooth and Claw - by Kristin Ohlson

Book Synopsis

What if Nature is more cooperative, and less competitive, than we think?

A follow-up to Kristin Ohlson's previous book, The Soil Will Save Us (Rodale 2014), Sweet in Tooth and Claw extends the concept of cooperation in nature to the life-affirming connections among microbes, plants, fungi, insects, birds, and animals - including humans--in ecosystems around the globe.

For centuries, people have debated whether nature is mostly competitive -- as Darwin theorized and the poet Tennyson described as "red in tooth and claw"--or innately cooperative, as many ancient and indigenous peoples believed. In the last 100 or so years, a growing gang of scientists have studied the mutually beneficial interactions that are believed to benefit every species on earth. This book is full of stories of generosity - not competition -- in nature. It is a testament to the importance of a healthy biodiversity, and dispels the widely accepted premise of survival of the fittest.

Ohlson tells stories of trees and mushrooms, beavers and bees. There are chapters on a wide variety of ecosystems and portraits of the people who learn from them: forests (the work of Suzanne Simard); scientists who study the interaction of bees and flowers in the Rocky Mountains; the discovery of bacteria and protozoa in the mid-1600s by Dutch scientist Antoni von Leeuwenhoek; ranchers, government agency personnel, and scientists working together to restore wetlands from deserts in northeastern Nevada; and more. It is a rich and fascinating book full of amazing stories, sure to change your perspective on the natural world.

Review Quotes

"A book that reimagines what is possible when people see themselves as part of the ecosystem rather than as its predator. Refreshing, thought-provoking--and delightfully illustrated." --Civil Eats

"Excellent and illuminating" -- The Wall Street Journal

"Whether discussing individuals gardening with native plants or cities planning greener and more connected watersheds and ecosystems, Ohlson makes a compelling argument for working together and taking a lesson from the many instances of cooperation in nature." -- Booklist

Journalist Ohlson (The Soil Will Save Us) pushes back against the Darwinian notion that "competition rules" in this vivid survey. Despite the popular notion that nature is a "vicious and never-ending battle of survival for meager resources," Ohlson makes a solid case that the opposite is often true. She starts with the revolutionary findings of forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, which showed cooperation among trees that share nutrients via underground fungal networks. Ohlson then moves on to discoveries among other organisms--including symbiotic cyanobacteria, which "live side by side in floating communities"; Azya orbigera beetles, which "love to be with ants" per one ecologist; and beavers, which "reengineer" landscapes to feature "vibrant wetlands" where there was once "dust and gravel"--as well as the development of regenerative farming practices that are used to "protect soils from erosion and... add biodiversity." Alongside the fascinating case studies, Ohlson reflects on her own connection to nature in oft-lyrical prose: "The wild grasses dried into tiny lacerating spears; if I stepped into them, my mother would be at my feet with tweezers and a needle, its tip still hot and black from being held to a flame." This is as charming as it is enlightening. Photos. Agent: Kirsten Neuhaus, Ultra Literary. (Sept.) -- Publishers Weekly

This is as charming as it is enlightening. -- Publishers Weekly

"A rich and fascinating book, Sweet in Tooth and Claw is stunning in its vision of how, by embracing nature's cooperative, generous spirit, human beings might do part of the great work of helping the planet and its inhabitants to
thrive." -- starred review, Foreword Reviews

"The author has a clear storytelling style." -- Kirkus Reviews