Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless: What Fungi Taught Me About Nourishment, Poison, Ecology, Hidden Histories, Zombies, and Black Survival

Naturalist Pinto celebrates the interconnectedness of the natural world in this joyful mix of memoir, science, history, and adventure. Pinto, who compares the excitement of finding a particularly sought-after mushroom to the thrill of winning an Easter egg hunt or spotting a $100 bill on the sidewalk, details a number of unique fungi, among them the aromatic truffle; the hideous zombie-ant fungus; psilocybin-producing magic mushrooms; the tasty huitlacoche, or corn smut, adored by the Aztecs; the deadly death-cap mushroom; and the “charismatic” Schizophyllus commune, which has an estimated 23,000 sexes. Interspersed throughout are accounts of Pinto’s Jamaican heritage; a chilling history of zombies; an overview of wildfires with mention of Pyronema, a tough little postfire fungus that can metabolize charcoal; a discourse on foraging; and an explanation of the Wood-Wide Web, the hypothesis that trees communicate via a mycorrhizal network linking their roots. (Pinto, a self-described mycophile, objects to the reduction of fungi to mere “tree accessories.”) She ends on a poignant, hopeful note, envisioning a future for humankind inspired by fungi, made up of communities that flourish through mutual aid. With echoes of Jamaica Kincaid and Annie Dillard, this is a treat for nature lovers and mushroom aficionados. (Oct.)