TAKE TO THE TREES

Learning from giants.

In Holloway’s journey to self-discovery, the Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism professor shares her experiences after enrolling in the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop as a novice climber with a fear of heights. As the author recounts, she witnessed the transformation of women from various walks of life who similarly sought to improve their skills, challenge themselves, and overcome their fears. Additionally, she encountered women from the arboriculture and forestry industry who shared their experiences working in a male-dominated industry. Throughout, Holloway also discusses details she learned about the impact that climate change is having on trees. As she notes, the book began to take form during interviews with climate change experts when reporting for the New York Times. From drought to an upsurge in wildfires across the country, from beetle infestations to the blurring of New England’s once sharply defined seasons, Holloway writes, “a great dying is underway in forests the world over.” Further, she asserts, “climate change is like a trauma that keeps gathering power and force because we won’t look directly at it.” Holloway also shares the impact of familial losses that she has witnessed in recent years and the resulting personal promise that she tried to keep. With this additional narrative, the book at times feels as if the author is attempting to accomplish too much. Nevertheless, it remains inspiring. Thanks to her journey, she writes, she feels “both more rooted and more free.”

A hopeful yet cautionary commentary about the power and fragility of trees.