Fun fact: February is Library Lovers' Month!

Did you know reading is strongly linked to good cognitive health and longevity? (Reading books may add years to your life - Harvard Health)

For inspiration, Link PT administrative assistant Louisa shares her thoughts on her latest read, Birnam Wood. Enjoy!

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton follows a struggling gardening co-op that takes any opportunity to plant native plants and food in empty lots around their community, all with the hope of restoring the local ecology and feeding those who need it. When an enthusiastic and charismatic billionaire offers to fund their project, it sparks excitement among some members of Birnam Wood while others feel wary of the generosity. We soon learn that, of course, all is not as it seems: the billionaire hopes to distract from his own ecological destruction by aligning himself with Birnam Wood.

I thought this book was spectacular. Catton tackles the conflict between taking action and maintaining moral purity in activism. Even if we all wanted to make the world a better place, how do we do that with the sheer amount of barriers that are baked into the systems that form our society? Is it worth it to compromise some moral tenets if it means we can circumvent these barriers and actually achieve progressive goals? Who is right: the one who finally takes meaningful action, or the one who sticks to their morals, even if it means remaining stuck in limbo?

Birnam Wood feels more like a character study than a book where Things Happen. If you’re patient with the characters and allow yourself to be immersed in who they are (no matter how annoying), then the ending is incredibly worth it.

Throughout the book, I found myself trying to figure out who I agreed with more as they navigated these conversations and engaged in questionable 20-something behaviors. The dialogue is remarkably human, and realistically portrayed how some of these debates can play out. I enjoyed this very much, because as the reader you get to just sit back and go “wow… he’s really still going, huh?” without having to conjure up your own retort as if you were actually present. (If you ever attended a class discussion that got unnecessarily heated, this will bring you right back. Good news - you get to roll your eyes and scoff all you want without anyone calling you out!) Quite a refreshing way to engage with important ideas in today’s world!