Page 18 - Boca Club News - April '25

Page 18, Boca Club News

The Arts
The Arts

Book Review: “The Light Eaters:

How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence

Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth”

By Nils A. Shapiro New York Times and insect invasions that trees in a natural forest do, as referred
Nils began his career as Marketing other publications— to above in this review.
Director for a major book publisher. presents her subject - Boquila trifoliata is a simple-looking plant, a vine
He has since edited the authors’ on the assumption that with bright-green oval leaves in groups of three, like a clover
manuscripts’ for more than 20 many, if not most, or a common bean. A Peruvian ecologist, Ernesto Gianoli,
published books, written more than of her readers will had discovered that this common “chameleon” rain forest
200 book reviews, served as Publisher approach it as skeptics, vine was capable of doing what no other plant could do: It
of several million-plus circulation not quite prepared could, quite spontaneously, morph into the shape of almost
national magazines, created the to accept the idea of any plant it grew beside…A research group in Germany felt
official Yearbooks for teams in Major League Baseball, the coupling plants together sure this incredible mimicry implied the plant could see.
National Football League, National Basketball Association with such concepts How else could it accurately reproduce the texture, the vein
and National Hockey League, and “retired” as President as “intelligence,” pattern the shape, of a neighboring leaf?
of a successful telecommunications company before being “decision-making,” In this book’s final chapter—one of the most thoughtful,
appointed Editor of Boca Club News when the newspaper “consciousness,” well-reasoned and compelling writing I have come across in
was launched in January 2007. “seeing,” “hearing” and a long time—the author addresses her readers’ likely initial
Of the more than 200 books that I have reviewed in this other capabilities. skepticism directly and responds with understanding and a
column in what is now the 19th year of Boca Club News, The result is a book logic that I found irrefutable.
only a half dozen have affected me in a life-changing way. that is organized as the author’s report on the most current I will quote here just two paragraphs from that chapter’s
I cannot promise that it will do the same for many of this studies and experiments in botanical science around the 20 pages:
column’s readers, but for those who share my profound world based on her own travels—meeting with leading “At the end of the day, whether or not plants are
interest in the vast diversity of life with which we share botanic scientists, witnessing their work in laboratories, intelligent is a social question, not a scientific one. Science
this planet—and who are willing to be open-minded about to forests, jungles, deep underground caves, wherever it will continue to find that plants are doing more than we’d
what the most recent science is discovering—this is a book leads—discovering with them the most extraordinary and imagined. But then the rest of us will have a look at the data
that will make you think…with a capital T.H.I.N.K.! surprising facts of plant life—then describing all of it in and come to our own conclusions. How will we interpret
It was inevitable that I would someday be captivated these pages so clearly and convincingly that even the most the new knowledge? How will we fit it into our beliefs about
by this area of interest. I grew up as a child living in New skeptical reader will find it difficult to deny the miracles of life on earth? That is the exciting part. Perhaps we will see
York just one city block from the wondrous Bronx Zoo, nature that have surrounded all of us, all our lives, without them as the animate creatures they are.
close enough to hear the lions roar for their dinner every our awareness and appreciation. “But what happens then? Underlying all this is the
afternoon when I returned home from elementary school, There are so many such examples that to offer just a few deeper question, the one that matters most: What will we
and I walked the zoo from end to end hundreds of times. here seems unfair and almost counter-productive, but the do with this new understanding? There are two directions
The famed New York Botanical Gardens were also only a following “tease” will help support my comments about the to go in: we do nothing at all, and carry on as before, or we
short walk away. Little did I know then that there was far author’s final chapter. change our relationship with plants. At what point do plants
more constant inter-action and communication between the - Plants obviously do not have ears. But after many enter the gates of our regard? When are they allowed in to
“residents” of that beautiful attraction than at the zoo. experiences indicating that plants can somehow “hear,” the realm of our ethical consideration? Is it when they have
In 2016 I reviewed for this column a book, “Sex on Six two of the scientists decided to test Arabidopsis (a weedy language? When they have family structures? When they
Legs,” a nonfiction report on insects and what scientists have mustard plant) by playing the sounds of several different make allies and enemies, have preferences, plan ahead?
learned about their aspects of memory, decision-making and objects, including something that would surely eat it: When we find they can remember? They seem, indeed, to
free will. It was fascinating. a cabbage white caterpillar. When they had the leaves have all these characteristics. It’s now our choice whether
A year later, in “Gift from the Crow: How Perception, analyzed in a lab they found that only as a response to the to let that reality in. To let plants in.”
Emotion and Thought Allow Birds to Think Like Us,” the sound of the caterpillar chewing did the leaves discharge a In recommending this book to you I have planted the
author pointed out that these birds often outscore human chemical defense compound! seed. Whether you have the desire to grow—as a plant surely
children in tests designed to measure intelligence. - Plants also have the same ability to communicate does—is up to you.
In that same year, primatologist and ethologist Frans warnings to their neighboring plants about such dangers as
de Waal’s “Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart
Animals Are?” won for its author a major award for Film Review:
demonstrating parallel behavior between humans and
primates in the aspects of empathy, morality and justice.
Later, Sy Montgomery’s international bestseller, “The “The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry”
Soul of an Octopus,” made a worldwide splash by revealing
the stunning cognitive abilities of these undersea geniuses.
But it was with the publication of “The Hidden Life of By Nils A. Shapiro her suggestions about the
Trees” by Peter Wohlleben, the head of Europe’s largest There are two reasons for my having selected this film potential of certain of her
natural forest located in Germany, that this evolving to review in this month’s column, neither of which is my favorite new titles.
life-changing experience reached a high point for me. To certainty that you will fully enjoy it. It soon becomes clear
discover that what I had always thought of as “inanimate, The first is that the writer of the screenplay, Gabrielle that the bookstore is in
unconscious” life forms were actually very much alive in Zevin, was born and raised in Boca Raton and graduated disarray, the shelves
the sense of communication with the other trees around from Spanish River Community High School in 1996. overcrowded and a mess,
them—as just one example, warning them of attacking She graduated from Harvard University in 2000, having the owner himself drowning
insects so that those other trees could immediately protect concentrated on American Literature, then adapted the in alcohol and in the process
themselves by sending poison into their own leaves to kill screenplay from her own 2014 national bestseller of the same losing a rare, valuable copy
the specific invading species—was enough to turn me into title and has become an award-winning author of several of “Tamerlane” he had been
a believer. And that was just the beginning. The statement bestselling books. saving for a future financial
that there are more life form organisms in one handful of The second reason I enjoyed The Storied Life of A. J. need. (We learn later the
soil under a tree than there are people in the entire world Fikry is its subject matter—the story of a bookseller and his truth about what happened
is a fact that even I, by now a convert to the new sciences, world—and anyone who is a regular reader of Boca Club to that book.)
can barely comprehend. News and my monthly Book Review column knows that says But there is more on Alice Island that is in disarray than
To her credit, the author of “The Light Eaters”—Zoe it all! just the bookstore and A.J. Fikry’s life; the film explores
Schlanger, an award-winning science writer for the My one hesitation is that the film received mixed reviews these others as well: how his life changes when a 2-year-old
Atlantic magazine, Time, Newsweek, The Nation, The when released in 2022, so I will inform you of that up front girl, Maya, is abandoned in his bookstore and the mother
and leave to you the decision of whether or not to view this is found dead; his sister-in-law, Ismay’s, husband dies in
film now streaming on Netflix. a car crash; the pregnant wife of an author learns that her
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was directed by Hans husband has been cheating on her; Fikry’s relationship with
Canosa, who has since become married to the author/ the young book sales rep he treated poorly takes a dramatic
Captain’s was established in 1980 servicing screenwriter. turn toward feelings he had not expected…and much more
Palm Beach County and is a privately Kunal Nayyar stars in the role of A.J. Fikry, owner of a that if described more fully here would act as “spoilers.”
owned and managed company. bookstore in the lovely, scenic town of Alice Island on Cape For me, the seven years covered in the film—and the
Captain’s is committed to providing Cod, Massachusetts. Bearded and kind of scruffy looking, emotional ending—brought forth enough involving moments
dependable, reliable and professional when we first meet him he is being visited by a young woman,
ground transportation to and from all to make this very much a worthwhile experience. I believe
South Florida Airports and Seaports. PBCVH212 Amelia “Amy” Loman, the new sales representative of a many of you will feel the same and I shall consider this review
To reserve your vehicle: book publishing company. She is there to present the new an homage to a Boca Raton Spanish River Community High
561-798-2180 or 800-634-7890 www.captainsairport.com season’s titles but is treated rather rudely by the impatient School graduate who has made us all proud.
Fikry, who complains that business is slow and ignores