Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South

by Ayurella Horn-Muller

“Meticulously researched, personal and gorgeously written, Devoured centers a powerful plant as a symbol of immigration and climate justice in America. A timely narrative that will inspire readers to examine their deeply-rooted notions of belonging, both in our society and in the natural world, as we race against the peril of climate change.” — Masha Rumer, author of Parenting with an Accent: How Immigrants Honor Their Heritage, Navigate Setbacks, and Chart New Paths for Their Children

“A tangled natural history of an unlikely protagonist, Devoured ensnares the reader on the first page, taking them from the 1876 World’s Fair, across Florida’s freeways, and stopping off at a Memphis test-kitchen. Ayurella Horn-Muller provides a majestic account of the once-decorative vine, deeply probing the question of what it means to be invasive in America. A kudzu classic!” — Gloria Dickie, author of Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future

"In breathless prose, Horn-Muller untangles the assumptions and myths about kudzu, a vine alternately villainized and venerated. Guided by genuine curiosity, she leaves no leaf unturned, revealing what kudzu can tell us about our attitudes towards the food on our plates, the changing climate, and the migration of species—including humans." — Hannah Kirshner, author of Water, Wood, and Wild Things

“An enthralling tale of a seemingly ordinary plant, Devoured unravels a massive web of cultural complexities and historical intrigue. Horn-Muller invites readers to witness the extraordinary story of a single vine that resonates deeply with the diverse landscapes and cultures it intertwines. A truly mesmerizing saga of mystery, sacrifice, and belonging, this is a debut full of depth, warmth, and brilliance!” — Tirthak Saha, author of Flawed Prophets

"A delightful detangling of the cultural history and scientific mystery of the South’s most famous vine. Horn-Muller is as relentless as her subject as she questions the war on kudzu. She has given us a much-needed examination of so-called alien species and true invaders." — Cynthia Barnett, author of Rain: A Natural and Cultural History and The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans

Kudzu abounds across the American South. Introduced in the United States in the 1800s as a solution for soil erosion, this invasive vine with Eastern Asian origins came to be known as a pernicious invader capable of smothering everything in its path. To many, the plant's enduring legacy has been its villainous role as the "vine that ate the South." But for a select few, it has begun to signify something else entirely. In its roots, a network of people scattered across the country see a chance at redemption—and an opportunity to remedy a fragment of troubled history.

Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South detangles the complicated story of the South's fickle relationship with kudzu, chronicling the ways the boundless weed has evolved over centuries, and dissecting what climate change could mean for its future across the United States. From architecture teams experimenting with it as a sustainable building material, to clinical applications treating binge-drinking, to chefs harvesting it as a wild edible, environmental journalist Ayurella Horn-Muller investigates how kudzu's notorious reputation in America is gradually being cast aside in favor of its promise.

Weaving rigorous research with poignant storytelling, Horn-Muller reveals how the “vine that ate the South” became a vessel to "other" those with origins from beyond U.S. borders. A timely narrative, Devoured challenges readers to reconsider how we decide who and what belongs in the changing landscapes around us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, History

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2024

About the author

Ayurella Horn-Muller is an award-winning science journalist who has reported for Axios and Climate Central. Her work has been featured in CNN, the Atlantic, National Geographic, the Guardian, USA TODAY, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and other publications. Based in Florida, she has been awarded media fellowships from the Society of Environmental Journalists, Uproot Project, Metcalf Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Oregon State University. Her debut book Devoured: The Extraordinary Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Ate the South is due out in the spring.

Reviews

[Gloria Dickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of blurbing this fantastic book. Here's what I wrote:

A tangled natural history of an unlikely protagonist, Devoured ensnares the reader on the first page, taking them from the 1876 World’s Fair, across Florida’s freeways, and stopping off at a Memphis test-kitchen. Ayurella Horn-Muller provides a majestic account of the once-decorative vine, deeply probing the question of what it means to be invasive in America. A kudzu classic!

[Frank Perdomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book 📖 on Kudzu was very enlightening and the whole invasive plants 🌱 topic is as relevant as ever in that it rather mirrors 🪞 the TikTok ban right now--oh with the idea 💡 of things going viral or unchecked and human nature trying to control elements of Nature AND this gets at some interesting questions still unanswered.

First off, why has American politics NOT really mentioned "invasive plants" at a presidential level when it is so closely tied to climate change and immigration? 🤔
maybe because the deeper aims by some are to either control land or human behavior more than possible, i mean telling people what to grow or not is ridiculous as evidence in the costly War on Drugs but this is another story.

If you thought you knew some of this stuff on invasive plants, then this will still blow your mind because kudzu is everywhere yet not a target due to data, attainable goals, property rights, and quite frankly Academia - - and i mean this sincerely, i think academic research may be in the way on this.

So this boils down to cultural issues and how people actually interact with our environment. The vine invades the edges of fragmented vulnerable areas, so we're on a spectrum of not seeing it to it being a warning all the way to it being gone again and somewhere on this spectrum is an ecosystem in balance that respects and utilizes this plant in a reasonable way, right? oh this says so much about us.

What stories about plants linger in your mind?

page 📃 146 from chapter 11 - Carbon Conundrum

"I was collecting leaf tissue from kudzu and wisteria and people would pass by and say, What are you doing?' And I would say, 'Oh, I'm doing this, and they were like, 'Oh, kudzu, that's the worst species. Oh, wisteria! That's my grandmother's favorite flower!'" Hoffberg quickly picked up on the differences in popular reception of the two, the sharp contrast in tone and the disproportionately negative responses leveled at kudzu. "People have these really strong opinions about these plants," she said. "These were plants that everybody wanted to give their story about."

[Sierra Allred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ughhhh, I'm so conflicted over this one. I like the writing style and love the subject matter, obviously. It made me homesick in a way I find it hard to describe and captured the contradictory beauty and ugliness of the south perfectly. It's the controversy around the vine itself and the way that is presented that is so frustrating. Nearly every chapter, a use or solution for the problem of kudzu "overgrowth" would be presented that seemingly holds a lot of promise, then an expert in some field or other would be quoted as saying something along the lines of "that solution might work but what if greedy capitalists came in and planted MORE kudzu and made the problem worse, so we can't do that." Could we not watch for and/or mitigate that problem as we try out the kudzu solutions?? Most of what this book served to show me is that bureaucracy prevents problems from being solved all the way down to niches like kudzu. I think rather against the author's intentions, this book has made me into more of a libertarian. The government is so useless at solving problems, including the ones it created, that maybe we deserve for kudzu to swallow us up.

[Masha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and gorgeously written, Devoured centers the kudzu plant as a symbol of immigration and climate justice in America. It will inspire readers to examine their own ideas of what it means to belong from the perspective of a plant first hailed as a savior, then summarily discarded as an "outsider" and "invasive." Although I've never heard of Kudzu before, I was instantly drawn in by the prose (I read excerpts out loud to my children and wrote a blurb for it!). I learned so much about the U.S. history and climate change and loved the combination of research and the author's personal storytelling. It's poetic, vulnerable, and relatable for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider seeking their own roots.

[Radovan Javor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was raised in the South and always feeling like a bit of an outsider. I also was fascinated by the expansive greenery that littered our backyard without ever giving it much thought about what it was or where it came from.

This book blew me away by drawing me in from both personal and scientific angles, beautifully weaving personal story, historical perspective, research, and the shortcomings of local governance into one. The interviews are thorough, the chapters are unique, and the journey kudzu leads from beginning to end kept bringing me back to a single thought: "how have I not known about this before??".

This book has made me reconsider how I interact with the world around me. We are always surrounded by stories and wonder.

[Ayurella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this, so a 5-star review is more than a little biased, but I did devote many years to bringing this book to life, so I think I'm allowed to love it fiercely. And I hope you do, too!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is extremely well researched and deserves praise for bringing awareness to this wonderfully weird plant.