Fantastic Fungi by Paul Stamets

Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact 

by 

Paul Stamets, Louie Schwartzberg, Eugenia Bone, Suzanne Simard, Roland Griffiths, Jay Harman, William Richards, Andrew Weil, Michael Pollan...

 We can’t get stuck in the past; we need to be grounded in the present but not stop looking ahead. If we can visualize a better future, we can achieve a better future.

No summary is necessary to introduce this book, if you've read the title then you've read the synopsis. This book is about fungi, more specifically mushrooms. 

I am aware this is a film, but I've never seen it and I can't tell you how the book compares to the documentary. I can tell you that I never knew how much I didn't know about mushrooms until I read this book. They can detoxify the planet, they can be nutritional, medicinal, or deadly. They can help with decomposition and rebirth. It seems like the secrets to the universe are held inside the fantastic fungi Paul Stamets is studying. I found the impact of mushrooms on mental illness especially fascinating. Alongside the informative narrative, the book also contains some really beautiful photos of the mysterious, and kind of funky, mushrooms.

My one complaint about the book is that sentences and paragraphs felt too repetitive-like they were copied from one chapter and pasted into others. Entries from research papers supplement the text, making the main narrative seem unfortunately derivative.

Overall, I enjoyed Fantastic Fungi. I learned a lot and now I'm more aware of mushrooms when I'm out hiking or trail riding. I never used to notice them, my eyes skimming right over like they weren't even there. And why not? They don't do anything for me... But they do and now I know it. And now I know of the potential they hold for our future.

4 stars