In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms

by Doug Bierend

Fungi are fundamental to life. As decomposers, they are critical to the formation and sustenance of soils and ecosystems. As endlessly innovative chemists, they devise and secrete enzymes that can break down a vast variety of materials, mitigate bacterial and viral infections, and interact―for better or worse―with the bodies and brains of animals that consume their fruiting bodies, commonly called mushrooms.

Given their ubiquity and utility, it’s no surprise that humans have deep cultural connections to fungi and mushrooms, even while they have remained both understudied by institutional science and misunderstood by the general populace. But an emerging mycological vanguard is reaching maturity, exploring and advocating for fungi’s capacity to remediate contaminated landscapes and waterways, provide food and medicine, and demonstrate how humans might live in equitable and sustainable accord with nature and one another. This diverse cadre of growers, independent researchers, ecologists, entrepreneurs, and amateur enthusiasts is also scrambling to seize on rising demand for specialty mushrooms in culinary and medicinal markets, advance burgeoning fields of ‘applied mycology,’ and center conversations about social justice and sustainability.

In In Search of Mycotopia, Doug Bierend introduces readers to an incredible and oft-overlooked kingdom of life and the potential it holds for our future, by way of the weird and wonderful communities of citizen scientists and microbe devotees working on the fungal frontier. Together they form a picture of the modern mycological movement, which sees these organisms as teachers, partners, and sources of wisdom that offer ways and means for creating a better world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Biology, Environment, Food, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

Published March 10, 2021

Reviews

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Click here to hear my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive.


Very interesting stuff, but I feel like, by the end, the mushrooms got lost in all the discussion about people who work with them.

[Cav · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy... This one was, uhhh interesting.

Author Doug Bierend is a freelance writer and recent first-time author based in the Hudson Valley. He describes himself as writing about science, technology, visual and interactive media, food, sustainability and general subversiveness.

Doug Bierend:


The book's title: In Search of Mycotopia had me expecting a book about fungi and mushrooms. While those topics are somewhat covered here, Bierend somehow managed to include a baffling torrent of leftist political rhetoric in these pages.
Indeed, most of this book's writing is Bierend's political evangelizing; through the central theme of fungi, mushrooms, and mycelium. Be aware of this before you start this one.
If you are not interested in hearing the long-form half-baked shit political takes of a self-described borderline communist, you might want to give this one a pass. You've been warned.

I wish that I knew this before starting the book, but I don't recall the book's description hinting towards what was to come. What a complete waste of time...

While I do read about politics and the culture war, sometimes it gets a bit much, and I like to switch it up a bit and read books from other areas of interest to me. A book about fungi; this one certainly seemed like it would tick just that box. Who knew that a book about mushrooms could be so chock full of ideology and politics?? Ridiculous. I'm surprised that the publishers didn't reign him in. They probably should have...

Early alarm bells were triggered for me in the intro of the book. I had to actually go back and reread what he just said - because I couldn't believe what I'd just read in a book about fungus...
Here are a few of the more choice quotes from the author in just the introduction:

"Within this expanding circuit of fungus-focused skills sharing and knowledge exchange, a certain subversive strain of subculture is also emerging, one that takes up fungi as part of an effort to dissolve the petrified stumps of patriarchy and colonialism, and establish in their place priorities of biocentrism and universal enfranchisement in science, food, and medicine..."

"...Legacy institutions and perspectives alike stand in the way of realizing a sustainable, equitable society..."

"...Some of the work and worldviews I document in this book take up fungi as allies in challenging patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism, various extractive or supremacist worldviews that ignore the agency and interconnectedness of nature..."

What absolute word salads of mindless nonsense... A good barometer to the degree of ideological possession someone is experiencing might just be that you pick up a book they wrote about mushrooms, only to hear how capitalism, colonialism, and the patriarchy all must be destroyed to make way for a more"equitable" future.
What the actual fuck?!
The rest of the book is liberally peppered with countless disparaging remarks about men, white men, colonialists, gentrification, and other assorted leftist partisan jargon that are the hallmarks of the ideologically possessed.
Good lord...

A cursory glance at his Twitter feed reveals a virtual cornucopia of radical far-leftist sentiment:
"good morning abolish the police"
"this country would be a whole lot safer without police"
"anyone complaining about property damage is literally saying "won't somebody *please* think of the insurance companies??"
- Are just a few of the more notable ones that jumped out to me. Do I need to vet the authors of the books I read thoroughly before I begin them? Maybe, I'm not sure. This kind of nonsense is sadly becoming more commonplace lately...

Aside from the inclusion of the author's low-resolution political opinions into a book where they have absolutely no business being, the writing here was just bad. Instead of educating the reader about fungi, Bierend writes about his visits with obscure scientists and others, various trips to LGBTQ/BIPOC mushrooms festivals, grocery stores, as well as many other uninteresting personal accounts and anecdotes.
The book is also absolutely teeming with assorted nonsensical tidbits of partisan ideological language and jargon. Rarely have I read so many words that managed to say so little...

I almost never rate books 1 star, but this one was so bad that it is deserving of just that. I'm not sure how he even managed to get it published in the first place, although a quick glance at the website of publisher Chelsea Green Publishing yielded some clues...
If you are interested in learning more about fungi and mushrooms, I would recommend Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures and even Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms; both of which were orders of magnitude better than this book.
Off to the return bin with this one...

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people ask me what I find so interesting about mushrooms, I always struggle to answer because the list of amazing things you learn cracking open any book on mycology is endless. But one of the most interesting aspects is that fungi is… everywhere. In the soil (where it decomposes matter or protects various plants and nourishes them) and in our plates (whether as a mushroom or as a key ingredient of bread, cheese, wine, etc.) but also in our medicine, in our digestive system… They are an often overlooked but crucial part of what keeps life on Earth possible, and learning about the various ways they impact our life is sort of a never-ending process. This book is not a how-to book, it’s not an identification guide, nor is it a micro-biology textbook; rather, it’s what one reviewer appropriately called a work of fungal anthropology, because it’s about the people whose lives are centered around one or many aspects of mycology.

I have noticed that fungi people tend to have this interesting quirk where they see mycology in an almost evangelistic way; they understand the interconnectedness of mycelium and are inspired by this, so the subculture definitely attracts people that tend to be involved in counter-cultural movements, people with strong opinions about DIY culture, nutrition, ecology, alternative medicine – and yes, that means that their ideology and politics are consistent with these interests, and it will rub some readers the wrong way. I admit that most of these mycofolks are preaching to the choir with me, so if anything, I am guilty of confirmation bias when I say positive things about them… But I really do think that working with interconnected organisms that affect our lives in countless ways tends to highlight the way human beings are interconnected, and this awareness often makes people see a new and critical value to their communities, their local ecosystem, if you will, and the impact we all have on this. So if 21st century hippies annoy you, maybe steer clear?

There is so much going on in this book, and I will definitely be re-reading it, but what I can tell you is that Bierend created a wonderful tapestry to familiarize readers with this expanding community of growers, foragers, artists, entrepreneurs, scientists and activists who seek to educate the public about the power of fungi! It’s really an informative celebration of the communities that are built around work involving mushrooms and using their knowledge to make the world a better place for everyone.

I think this should be on every mycophile’s bookshelf!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very deep dive into all things mushroom related. While it is very, very science-heavy, it also profiles all kinds of fascinating people involved in mushrooms in all kinds of ways. The diversity of people and personalities is really interesting, and you'll likely end up knowing far more about mushrooms than you could have imagined. I have to admit that my mushroom experiences have been mostly relegated to foraging and cooking wild mushrooms, along with making the occasional spore print. My 20 year old daughter is quite a mushroom lover though and even has a Minnesota mycology twitter page and Instagram account for her wild mushroom photography and identification. She's also quite counterculture and I know she's love some of the people and projects profiled here. It's a shame this book won't be published until March or I'd add it to her Christmas presents.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing and educational book tells us about many different groups of people who cultivate or seek mushrooms and other fungi. Some because they can sell edible mushrooms, ideally those which have digested free leavings like coffee grounds. Some people have decided to study the microbiology of fungi; how they spread and digest material, how they help hosts such as the Dutch Elm Beetle get established in trees. Foresters are replanting mushroom spawn in burnt forests to help new trees gain nutrients as they grow. Lichen, for which group the term symbiotic was coined; extremophile fungi from a salt lake; edible fungi which the grower ruefully considers are farming people to help them spread. The foremost mycologist in Chile, a lady who was told by Dr Jane Goodall that she was in the same place with fungi as Goodall was when she started working with chimps. And to persevere.

Festivals and foragers, farmers and foresters. A great spread of people and events. You will be inspired to download iNaturalist and start learning and uploading.

I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. No illustrations. This is an unbiased review.

Notes p232 - 313 in my ARC, the index was yet to come.

[Ruxandra Grrr [in a slump :(((((]]

Someone describing this as containing 'a baffling torrent of leftist political rhetoric in these pages' is for sure going to make me wanna read it. Thanks, 1-star reviewer!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find the world of mycology interesting enough that I already belong to some mushroom groups, and enjoy seeing the grow operations and backwoods finds that members post. I casually hunt morels and can name a handful of other common mushrooms on hikes. This book took a much more in-depth look than I was really prepared for but it was fascinating. I really appreciated the author's focus on social and cultural groups that are often under-represented. I also like that they explained why so many experts in mycology aren't what we would consider being traditional scientists. The information was dense enough that I could only read portions at a time and then took a break with another book to digest before coming back. Somehow the slowness felt appropriate though, given the way fungi and mushrooms grow, and I definitely recommend the read.

[Ben Goldfarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of reading and blurbing an ARC; here's what I wrote:

In Search of Mycotopia is as wondrous and hopeful as its awe-inspiring subject. Doug Bierend deftly extends the mycelial threads of his curiosity into the many communities that congregate around fungi, from academic researchers to hipster entrepreneurs to Indigenous groups engaged in cultural mycoremediation. The resultant book is a masterpiece of intersectional fungal anthropology that will send you running for the mushroom stand at your nearest farmers’ market — and may even inspire you to venture forth on some forest forays yourself.

[Paperclippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look, I'm a big fungus fan. A fungiphile, if you will. So the odds of my giving any well-researched and well-plotted book about mushrooms and their ilk less than three stars is pretty slim. But that doesn't mean that I'm just gonna fling stars about willy-nilly, no, to get those last two stars, you've gotta put in some work.

Doug Bierend put in all the work.

This book isn't just pro-fungus, it's pro-feminist, it's pro-queer, it's anti-racist, and it's all from the view of the fungal community that aims to do their best to bring mushrooms to the masses and to change the world from the inside out. Which makes sense, because mushrooms themselves operate on an inside-out sort of scheme. They're in everything, everywhere, all the time; their hyphae can exist in places even the hardiest animals cannot, and they literally hold it all together, from soil to ecosystems. So perhaps it's no surprise that fungi would attract a community in the strongest sense of the word: communal, communist (without all the baggage).

Bierend does an excellent job of opening up that world to the layperson, because it's the layperson who will benefit most from more readily available fungi in their lives, be it food, fermentation, or materials science. He actually enters into each of the communities promoting fungal growth (pun intended) and works with the people at the forefront of the movement - sometimes literally working for and with them. And the journey is a treat, the education a joy. In Search of Mycotopia is a long read but a pleasant one, meandering from one cause to the next like hyphae between roots, and bringing us all a little closer all the while.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended! Really interesting science and community. It's a very good read!

Inspired me - I'm now the proud caretaker of an oyster mushroom block and a shiitake mushroom block. :-)

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fascinating to see how certain mycologists experience a radical shift in their conscience from studying fungi and how it causes them to challenge systems in our society that rely on exploitation and profit. Fungi’s interconnectedness with the ecosystem inspire mycologists to strive for a more interconnected, caring world. The author does a seamless job showing how fungi can be a learning tool to build communities.

[Zach Drake]

I really enjoyed this charming book on fungi and themes of citizen science.

[Alysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to hold my hands up and say: I don’t know an awful lot about mushrooms! Mycology is a subject I briefly touched upon during my undergraduate degree studies but aside from that, I’m one of the people that vastly overlook this very important component of our ecosystem and environment.

This book was a great compendium of all sorts of mycology and mushroom based information, from the authors meetings with mushroom enthusiasts, festivals, those with fungi based businesses and the basic down low on mushrooms, what they are and why they’re important. I also enjoyed learning about the history of mycology as a science and its origins as well as the use of social media, citizen science and crowd source data.

If you’re expecting a book on just mushrooms cut and dry knowledge here, nope! You get way more than that. It’s a very likeable and readable book on a subject many wouldn’t think about and would easily look over in reading material. I had no idea what to expect when reading this book but I found I really enjoyed what I read. Who’d have thought mushrooms could be so interesting?!

It’s amazing the link between fungi and hugely big and challenging concepts like patriarchal society, colonialism, capitalism and supremacist worldview, I mean who’d have thought such a relationship and link existed? But it does! The topic represents so much and I couldn’t believe such links between the mycological field and LGBTQ as well.

In search of mycotopia brought the topic of mushrooms from dry academic text, down to within the population, with how it has impacted and benefited our lives, and how communities of fungi lovers (mycophiles) and amateurs have formed. I really had no idea how passionate some people could be about mushrooms, as beyond my academic interest, it’s not something I’ve really attributed much too. I knew of their importance in balancing an ecosystem but not how much passion there was in mycophiles around the world.

I really enjoyed reading about all sorts of mushroom and fungi based businesses, as well as the festivals and information exchanging programmes and events from around the world. I was also quite frankly mind blown at all the different applications fungi could be lent to, ie bioremediation, medicine, soil rejuvenation and cleansing waterways. There are so so many different incorporations in all sorts of different areas, aside from the food industry but into medical, environmental rejuvenation and even cleaning up industrial chemicals from our soil and waters. Wow. This book really did open my eyes. It was so so interesting !

I will definitely look and think about mushrooms differently after reading this book and can now say my knowledge on fungi has exponentially grown - like dispersing mushrooms spores in a woodland and have been thoroughly infected like an ant with Cordyceps militaris. (Yup, I can even make fungi based jokes now)!

Fab book. It really is a great read for all those that have an existing interest but also for those who have none and would like to know more. I really enjoyed it.

I was lucky enough to read this with thanks to the author and publishers via NetGalley, to give honest thoughts and a review after reading.

[Bee Ostrowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mushrooms are hardcore. They turn death into life. Some of them are delicious; some of them can clean up hazardous waste. (Don’t get them confused. The wrong one could turn life into death.)

In Search of Mycotopia is a rollicking tour of the science of fungi and the fittingly from-the-ground-up communities of people who grow them. Like any good science writer, the author mixes a modicum of salty language (the first of a few f-bombs is on page 3), humor, and descriptions that are just technical enough to get the point across. And he doesn’t flinch at erudite but expressive vocabulary, making me feel smarter not only from learning about fungi but also by remembering—and learning—rarely-seen words. (I didn’t know duff, tarn, and lots of fungus-related terms. I find this delightful. Readers who would yeet Foucault’s Pendulum will occasionally want a good dictionary.)

Beyond the science of fungi, Bierend focuses on the people and organizations who have come together to promote knowledge of mycology, and the multifarious modes in which they’ve learned to function together. That’s what I found most fascinating by the end: people who appreciate mushrooms and the threads of mycelia from which they sprout tend to take life tips from the subject of their fascination.

This book would shine on an undergrad syllabus for Science and Society.

I am grateful to the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free advance review copy.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I even begin with Doug Bierend's brilliant book? It's so hard to believe that the world of fungi has been so foreign to us for so long. It's only recently that we've discovered that it is neither plant nor animal, that it is prevalent in every step of the ground we trod upon, and that it just might save the world. With the new wave of understanding comes the acts to demystify our mushroom friends, to decriminalize their long misunderstood healing powers, and to get them in as many hands as we possibly can. Bierend talks about everyone from Paul Stamets to William Padilla-Brown to the ever-important citizen scientist (that could be you!). Bierend's book is awash in passion and awe and offers a hope that we may just be able to clean up our past mistakes, to change our future enough to save our very unique planet.

[Andrea Keeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish this was more fungal and less personal. Could have used with more editing/ condensing, too.

[Ane Kongsdal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really debating with myself whether to give this 2 or 3 stars. It wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was hoping it would teach me something more than which mushroom can be safely picked from the forest and put into my food. Do you even know how much more there is to the world of fungi? Did you know they are closer related to animals than to plants, yet they were classified as a subgroup of plants until late 1960s? I did learn some interesting stuff from this book, but sadly not as much as I hoped. For a book about mycelia, there was actually not very much mention of it. Or rather, most of the mycelia, fungi and mushrooms in this book was just a means of telling the story of the people who are interested in these topics.

This book was a bit too heavy on the sciency parts for my taste. There was a lot of how to grow, how other people grow, who did this, and who did that. I was hoping for more fascinating facts about different kinds of fungi, how weird ass fungi from the Amazonas turn ants into zombies and how some mushrooms glow, and so forth. I suppose I was really hoping to confirm and expand my fantasy-like knowledge about fungi, and not so much how I can cultivate it in my own closet. This, of course, isn’t the book’s fault, but my own. I can hardly fault something for not being what I want it to be, especially not when it even contains the word “science” in the title. Still, it did dampen my reading experience, which is the reason why I shaved a star off the rating.

The second star missing is because of all the people. This book is almost more about people than it is about mycelia, fungi and mushrooms. People who discovered things, people who cultivate things, people who have thoughts about fungi and people who share these thoughts with others online and at festivals. I’m sorry, but I just don’t find that very interesting. I wanted fungi fun facts, not mycelium mumblers.

That being said, I was very pleased with the structure of this book. As it is a non-fiction, it is generally harder to captivate the interest of the reader (or so I believe). This book did this splendidly, introducing new topics/sections with well written narratives. Praise is also due for all the fantastical puns and word plays. “Shroom to grow” is a good example. This pleases a word nerd.

[Sherron Wahrheit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am interested in ‘shrooms of all kinds, but today, I just can’t get through the prose or the narration. The writing is dense with all sorts of rhetorical devices that I love—but only when used sparingly. The book starts off with a bumper crop of alliteration, kinds of rhymes, more metaphors, cutesie imagery, and MORE all read by a narrator peppy with bright-eyed enthusiasm. Groan. Sustainable sustenance?

I noticed a battle between the author and another person on GR who gave it a one star review over perceived politics. I haven’t seen anything “leftist” myself, but I support his right to pursue his politics whatever they are.

It’s probably just that I need a nap or maybe I should look for a written version.

[Yahaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth look at those making some sort of mycology or fermentation their life. More about the cultural and social groups than Entangled Life (reminded me of omnivore's dilemma in that sense) though some of the same people show up in both books. Weirdly, even some sentences are word for word found in Entangled Life- I guess some metaphors are cliched in the mushroom world.

[Clayton Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, if this had been the only fungi book that I had read, it would likely be higher. But I am comparing this against some really good entries in the category, and for that reason, it is only a 3. Which is still good. Just not great for me.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love boks about micro-cultures and mushrooms are fascinating in and of their own right. If you want to learn about fungi in general- this has some good info. , but entangled lives is more comprehensive. This one has a lot about mushroom culture as resistant t the patriarchy. I felt it was a valid point, but it got a bit preachy and repetitive. The mushroom hunters, by Langdon Cook, gave a more rounded and humorous view of the wild and wooly world of mushroom advocates. Good sections on health, remediation and profiles of entrepreneurs

[Joy Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Def need to read the physical copy but I loved everything included, it was very well rounded and still leaves me wanting to look up even more (in a good way)

[Heather Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite fungi book. I think I need to stop reading about mushrooms and just grow some instead.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read.
If you enjoyed this I urge you to check out Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some people you might enjoy interviewing!

[Sayani · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Search of Mycotopia
Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms
Doug Bierend
Pages: 336 pages
Size: 6 x 9 inch
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Pub. Date: March 10, 2021
ISBN:9781603589796
**This is an ARC provided by NetGalley for book reviews.**

Fungi, Citizen Science, and Mycoculture

A journalist goes on a tour to find the beginnings and diversity of fungi counterculture and mycological movements. He meets citizen scientists, ecologists, entrepreneurs, researchers, enthusiasts, cultivators, and fungi growers to generate a comprehensive and vivid account of the modern mycological universe. Fans of the recent Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life should find this enthusiastic romp across mycofestivals and underground mycoculture laboratories.

The first thing you notice about the book is Bierend’s vivid usage of alliteration in describing the world of fungi along with its people. Secondly, the book is a cornucopia of interesting fungi-related terms with the prefix ‘myco-’. Fungi are everywhere, connected to everything. You can be an ‘anarchomycologist’ working to disrupt the capitalist chain by helping communities grow shrooms, cultivate strains in homegrown labs, and generate a communal interest in fungi bringing local communities together. The book follows the stories of many such entrepreneurs. Mycelial metaphors will follow you often as you meet foresters who use mycoremediation processes in forests suffering from fires or in clean up of groundwater pollution or brewers and fermenters using yeast to make the art of fermentation accessible to everyone. We are introduced to the Chilean mycologist Giuliana Furci’s Fundacion Fungi and their work in using fungi to modulate environmental policies in Chile. A fine example of translating science into policy.

The readers get plenty of introductory information about the kingdom fungi along with various types of mushrooms, their cellular structure, their physical appearance, their uses, identification, and their role in folklore and cultures (called ethnomycology). The fascinating world of slime molds and their complex behavior get a nod too in the book.

There is something for every fungi enthusiast in this book. Even though the bulk of the fungi movements and people you meet here are based in America it opens a whole new dimension of the citizen science world for you to explore.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's copy from NetGalley.

Mushrooms are fascinating. They're delicious, dangerous, life-altering, and so many more things depending on what variety you come into contact with. As a child I remember happily searching through the wood for morels; a treat in the spring. Now, aside from what I can get in the grocery store I have to be content with what I find at local farmers market (I'm just not brave enough to eat the honey mushrooms out of my yard).

But enough about my fungi forays; let's talk about the book. Beirend pulls together a lot about fungi and the community that surrounds it in this book. In fact, as much as you'll learn about the various mushrooms and fungi in the book, you'll learn more about the people that make up the community. From sections on DNA sequences to sections on Intersectionality, it really does cover the makeup of mushrooms.

Some of the book is science heavy (as in genes, etc.) and other is social-science heavy (the advent of POC and LGBTQ groups coming together to celebrate a love of fungi). He explores the different festivals out there, and the innovations in science that are happening because of mushrooms (you might have heard of the oil eating one). While everyone is familiar with mushrooms, comparatively there is not a lot of study done around them when you look at the study that's been done on much of the other natural world.

What I was really taken with in this book, was the inclusion of all the different groups and 'radical' people taking an interest in mycology. Citizen Scientists are abundant, especially in this field, and that makes it really approachable. While I might not have understood all of the specific scientific terms in the DNA sequencing chapter, the book was still approachable because of all the other areas it touched on. But especially of the people and groups that drive this change and science forward.

Really interesting book; I used the note feature in my kindle for the first time while reading just because there was so much I wanted to remember later and explore.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mushrooms aren't just about mushrooms but forest management, ecology, research and medicine and endless other functions. As a fungi forager and identifier in Canada and the Balkans, this book is right up my alley. We NEED fungi for survival and ecosystem balance. I am always amazed at the differing viewpoints on fungi and knowledge in general in Europe vs. Canada...there is a certain reluctance in the latter to delve. It seems that fungi are untouchable, a bit scary, though as the author says here, "only about 3% of named mushrooms can kill". So, many people avoid the topic altogether. Though fungi fascination is not new, mycology in general hasn't grown in ways other fields have. It is hard to believe that fungi was not even classified as a kingdom of life until 1969! Most of the action happens under the ground so is challenging to study.

I appreciate that the author discusses various "experts" from scientists to lay people who have devoted themselves to foraging and identifying in the field. He takes us on a scientific journey from rapid hyphal growth to ballistospory (spore release) to how they and what they feed, fly agaric legends, traditions, medicine and food, recognition of fungi alongside flora and fauna in Chile, genetic sequencing, ethnomycology, substrate to the future of mycology. One of my favourite quotes from this book is fungi are "the egg in the cake". So very descriptive and memorable. That the orchid seeds need fungus to germinate is fascinating! You will find a ton of information like this throughout.

This is an excellent book especially for those in the field or want to be, not for those with just a mild interest in fungi as it is very scientific and goes deeper than most. And I'm glad it does! There is so much to learn and in my opinion no other field could possibly be more enthralling.

My sincere thank you to Chelsea Green Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this fascinating book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In Search Of Mycotopia" is a book that I have been looking for, for sometime now. I am currently a Biochemistry major with a minor in Environmental Sciences, with a HUGE fascination with fungi. I have read many books concerning the topic, and most are either much to simple to fully appreciate this amazing (as the book references) "Queer-dom", while others are far to advanced or scientific for a casually interested reader to pick up and delve into the realm of fungi. This book however is a wonderful bridge between the two worlds. While it is a bit more on the scientific side, it covers all of the topics I would hope for a book about fungi to cover. From home cultivation, mycoremediation, conservation, fungal medicines, mushroom farms, bio-pesticides, mycology-phobia and more, this book is amazing for introducing one into the many various potential uses and work that is currently being done with fungi.

I also personally really enjoyed this book, as many of the books about mushrooms that are out either focus on the East Coast, or Washington and Oregon. However, this author told more of the mushroom stories and revivals happening in Utah and Colorado, areas that I have always been supremely interested in hearing about the fungal work going on in these areas, as I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for 20 years, and currently reside in Denver for the past 5 years. It was amazing to read about the work being put into documenting the fungal diversity at the NHMU and how it is being built 100% from scratch by dedicated mycologists. I am extremely excited to try and attempt to add specimens to this growing collection now!

Overall, I think this is a great book for someone who knows little about mushrooms and fungi in particular, and a great entry way into the complex workings of the hyphen world below our feet, and the many partial and sustainable uses that these glorious organisms can provide.