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Summary: Correction regarding author's name
Review: The author's correct name is Christopher Bird; not to be confused with Christopher O. Bird.
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Summary: I'm a believer!
Review: The basic premise is believeable enough to someone like me. However it tends to droll on and on. Once you get it, you're glad to know it, and grateful for the book; but after that, the author seems to spend countless pages trying to convince you of it. You'll never feel the same way about your plants again, even if you don't "think" you believe it ... a part of you can't help it. If you've never talked to your plants, get ready for a different kind of relationship with them...
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Summary: A Fine Companion Book To "Silent Spring"
Review: The science of plant life and human interaction come to life in this fine book and if read with an open mind and heart, one will no doubt be left with a new awe and feeling for our plant world. One might also feel the rage about the assault of the thoughtless/needless chemical assaults perpetrated against plant life- overflowing into all other life forms- what goes around, comes around! (Kharma, as in bad?) Rachel Carson's beautiful and enlightning work: "Silent Spring", is mentioned along with a host of other not so well known scientist and farmer's such as England's Friend Sykes who in 1951 wrote about the alarming side effects of the chemical pesticides and fertilizers and the ludicrous, unneccessary, vicious cycle of ever expanding need for more chemicals while nature is so expertly altering it's composition to resist this assault. Of course, the chemical manufacturers (aka: merchants of poison and death) are laughing all the way to the bank with this dangerous and insidious snake-oil scam. As other reviewers have stated, "this book should be read by every human on the planet"
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Summary: Your best friends.....
Review: THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird is a wonderful book of wisdom about the plant world and life in general. Like many people my age, I cut my teeth on Disney's "Living Desert" back in the 1950s. That film killed the notion for me that nothing lives in Death Valley and if Death Valley can be alive what else is possible? SECRET LIFE is like the old Disney films because the book describes science that challenges stereotypical mainstream thinking. Anyone who believes plants are sentient beings will love this book. If you've done much reading on this subject you've probably seen Tompkins and Bird quoted elsewhere. In the first part of their book, the authors explore the attributes of plants and pretty much conclude they have everything in common with animals-except plants probably came first on the evolutionary ladder and prepared the way for animals. In fact, if earth was invaded by alien species, the authors suggest the aliens were probably plants. But, you say, plants have roots and stay put (for the most part) and plants produce chlorophyll. Shell fish (oysters, mussels) and sea anemones can be rooted to one spot and small protozoa-like creatures produce chlorophyll. Probably the thing I like the best about this book is that finally, someone links the Chakras to real body parts-the seven endocrine centers--and explains the reasons why these "hot spots" are so important. Also, Tompkins and Bird explain the scientific reasoning behind Bach flower remedies and many other "new age" products you can find at Fresh Fields and other holistic stores. Skeptics will always have doubts, but after 30 years of organic gardening and non-academic exposure to plants, I know Tompkins and Bird are onto something. So do many modern scientists who have discovered belatedly that much of what the authors described 30 years ago may be true afterall. Cutting edge scientists are frequently ignored. Once upon a time some people thought George Washington Carver was a fruitcake because he thought plants had feelings (they do). Carver discovered many unusual things as did a number of other later Nobel winners, although sometimes folks like Gregor Mendel were not recognized until it was too late. If you want to be a better person, a wiser consumer, a great gardener, and healthier, you owe it to yourself to read THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS. It isn't all about them.
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Summary: This book blew me away! Read it!
Review: This book goes into things that are so incredible it's unbelivable!,( yet believable). I'd love to recreate some of the experiments in the book but the book doesn't give you enough information in regards to exactly how it was done, materials used,etc. Conveinently? krkingston@aol.com
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Summary: Stunningly Inspirational,
Review: This book is Amazing!, I loved it, I read it over and over, I even slept with it under my pillow, it made me cry, laugh, and it took my breath away. Bose's work is amazing, tho sadly hardly recognized by present day science. Personally I think Bose's discoveries are on a par with, if not more important than Einstein's. God bless you Bose. And many thanks to Mr Tompkins and Mr. Bird. You enriched our universe.
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Summary: Stunningly Inspirational,
Review: This book is Amazing!, I loved it, I read it over and over, I even slept with it under my pillow. It made me cry, laugh, and took my breath away. Bose's work is amazing, tho sadly hardly recognized by present day science. Personally I think Bose's discoveries are on a par with, if not more important than Einstein's. God bless you Bose. And many thanks to Mr Tompkins and Mr. Bird. You enriched at least my universe.
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Summary: fantastic and awakening
Review: This book is mind boggling and filled with lots of scientific studies that tell us how plants can tell whether or not a person has intent to kill them; how plants can help out a fellow plant that is deprived of water; how our positive energy can keep a leaf alive for 2 months and much much more. This is a must read for all botanists and plant lovers. I actually recommend this book to everyone on the planet.
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Summary: Best book ever on the inner science of horticulture!
Review: This book is one of my all-time favorites. I read this book years ago and have since read about numerous other scientific experiments which have supported and recreated the same kinds of phenomena described in this book. I loved the scientific examples of how plants seem to react to our attitudes and emotions in an intelligent fashion and that's only one of several plant related phenomena covered in this book. I have myself recreated experiments dealing with growth-rate and health in plants cultivated with strong love and admiration. I found this book very practical and mind opening to the possibilities inherent not only in horticulture but in all life itself. A must-read for everyone! (And especially gardeners!)
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Summary: Proof Of "New Age" Coverup
Review: This book should have revolutionized the world when it was
written 30 years ago. For example it showed ways that 40
pound cabbages could be grown in artic desert simply by
invoking nature spirits. It also offered methods of communing
with the aliens which would provide us with advanced non polluting technology. It showed that properly encouraged
plants could give off proper radiotonic energies and we might
not even need to eat them, but could live off their vibrations. It also showed how all killing was caused by the distortions of humanity and if properly encouraged lions would be satisfied by the menu of plants and lie down with the lamb. All would express their goddess nature. What happened to this revolution? Why were we betrayed. I can tell you that by studying "new age" people that they are sick and greddy, they didn't want the truth to come out because that would end their power games. Many times I have risen to speak at their conferances and within minutes I've been asked to leave. They've even called the police! And now they constantly use black magic to shine the mind machine at me which tells me awful things and it's so mean. Fortunatly by following the advice of this book I've been able to combine the astral essence of plants and acquire true sanity.
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