September 30, 2025
7:00pm - 8:30pm
The Alice's summer book club season wraps up on September 30 with a discussion of Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures. Join us to talk about all things mushroomy, enjoy some themed snacks, and take a closer look at some related items from the museum's collection. We'll have a limited number of copies for participants to borrow (first come, first served); the book is also available through the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
ABOUT THE BOOK: When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works.
