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When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy
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2 days and 16:48:36
75 copies available
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How the Word Is Passed
meets Braiding Sweetgrass in a cultural and personal reclamation of Black history and Black botanical mastery, told through the stories of long-lived trees.
The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and others, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrative but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that, like Native American traditions, predates the United States entirely.
In When Trees Testify, award-winning plant biologist Beronda L. Montgomery explores the way seven trees—as well as the cotton shrub—are intertwined with Black history and culture. She reveals how knowledge surrounding these trees has shaped America since the very beginning. As Montgomery shows, trees are material witnesses to the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants.
Combining the wisdom of science and history with stories from her own path to botany, Montgomery talks to majestic trees, and in this unique and compelling narrative, they answer.
The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and others, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrative but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that, like Native American traditions, predates the United States entirely.
In When Trees Testify, award-winning plant biologist Beronda L. Montgomery explores the way seven trees—as well as the cotton shrub—are intertwined with Black history and culture. She reveals how knowledge surrounding these trees has shaped America since the very beginning. As Montgomery shows, trees are material witnesses to the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants.
Combining the wisdom of science and history with stories from her own path to botany, Montgomery talks to majestic trees, and in this unique and compelling narrative, they answer.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 20, 2026
8722 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a beautiful book, and sad.
***
Pre-Read Notes:
I love popular science books, and I really love trees. The concept of this book, which braids natural history (trees) and human history (Black American science history), sounded interesting to me.
"Encountering one of the massive, hundreds-of-years-old oak trees that still stand in a variety of places in the United States can feel life changing. The first time I visited the campus of Hampton University, a historically Black college and university in Virginia, I came upon a majestic, thickly canopied oak tree . The sheer size of this being took my breath away." p129
Final Review:
(thoughts & recs) This is an interesting piece of nonfiction because of the form. Considering the history of different recognizable tree species in the US through the dizzying lens of USian history of slavery and racism creates a memorable read. I may have come for the trees but I stayed for my fellow humans and the history we all share.
WHEN TREES TESTIFY is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Sasha Bonét's THE WATERBEARERS. For fans of memoir that apply a historical lens.
My Favorite Things:
✔️ "That day, I feared that I would have to confront one of my greatest fears: that non-Black Americans who might not understand the deep and lasting trauma of chattel slavery to the enslaved and their descendants in the United States would be going about the land with joy and reckless curiosity, rather than a deep appreciation for the disturbing, but very real, history that continued to soak the soils." p11 She inviting us in here, but requesting reverence.
✔️ This book is revealing in a few different ways, one being the extensive wisdom it contains on survival botony. Like this: "We also learned the critical lesson of distinguishing blackberry bushes from poison oak. Mom taught me the concept of “if there are three, let it be.” This worked because poison oak, which makes clustered fruit that could be mistaken for unripe blackberries, has compound leaves with three leaflets, whereas wild blackberry was in the “if there are five, let it thrive” category of plants that are not likely to be harmful and possess compound leaves with five leaflets." p48
✔️ My favorite section was the one on oaks. I grew up with a giant old oak on my yard and I remember it like a friend. "Quercus virginiana, the southern live oak, is perhaps the most widely recognized species. Some of the iconic photos of large, spreading southern live oaks that are hundreds to a thousand years old are the Q. virginiana species from the southeastern part of the United States where the trees are prevalent. They persist in this area for hundreds of years due to the generally warmer winter climates of this region. Distinct from deciduous varieties, live oaks maintain leaves on their branches throughout much of the year. In the spring, as new leaves are produced, their emergence and expansion results in the dropping of the prior year’s leaves." p128
✔️ I adored the section on the Apple tree, specifically the passages about St. Nicholas and Christmas bags.
Content Notes: racism, racist language, casual racism, institutional racism, slavery, intergenerational trauma, white supremacy,
Thank you to the author Beronda L. Montgomery, Henry Holt & Co., and NetGalley for an accessible digital copy of WHEN TREES TESTIFY. All views are mine.
***
Pre-Read Notes:
I love popular science books, and I really love trees. The concept of this book, which braids natural history (trees) and human history (Black American science history), sounded interesting to me.
"Encountering one of the massive, hundreds-of-years-old oak trees that still stand in a variety of places in the United States can feel life changing. The first time I visited the campus of Hampton University, a historically Black college and university in Virginia, I came upon a majestic, thickly canopied oak tree . The sheer size of this being took my breath away." p129
Final Review:
(thoughts & recs) This is an interesting piece of nonfiction because of the form. Considering the history of different recognizable tree species in the US through the dizzying lens of USian history of slavery and racism creates a memorable read. I may have come for the trees but I stayed for my fellow humans and the history we all share.
WHEN TREES TESTIFY is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Sasha Bonét's THE WATERBEARERS. For fans of memoir that apply a historical lens.
My Favorite Things:
✔️ "That day, I feared that I would have to confront one of my greatest fears: that non-Black Americans who might not understand the deep and lasting trauma of chattel slavery to the enslaved and their descendants in the United States would be going about the land with joy and reckless curiosity, rather than a deep appreciation for the disturbing, but very real, history that continued to soak the soils." p11 She inviting us in here, but requesting reverence.
✔️ This book is revealing in a few different ways, one being the extensive wisdom it contains on survival botony. Like this: "We also learned the critical lesson of distinguishing blackberry bushes from poison oak. Mom taught me the concept of “if there are three, let it be.” This worked because poison oak, which makes clustered fruit that could be mistaken for unripe blackberries, has compound leaves with three leaflets, whereas wild blackberry was in the “if there are five, let it thrive” category of plants that are not likely to be harmful and possess compound leaves with five leaflets." p48
✔️ My favorite section was the one on oaks. I grew up with a giant old oak on my yard and I remember it like a friend. "Quercus virginiana, the southern live oak, is perhaps the most widely recognized species. Some of the iconic photos of large, spreading southern live oaks that are hundreds to a thousand years old are the Q. virginiana species from the southeastern part of the United States where the trees are prevalent. They persist in this area for hundreds of years due to the generally warmer winter climates of this region. Distinct from deciduous varieties, live oaks maintain leaves on their branches throughout much of the year. In the spring, as new leaves are produced, their emergence and expansion results in the dropping of the prior year’s leaves." p128
✔️ I adored the section on the Apple tree, specifically the passages about St. Nicholas and Christmas bags.
Content Notes: racism, racist language, casual racism, institutional racism, slavery, intergenerational trauma, white supremacy,
Thank you to the author Beronda L. Montgomery, Henry Holt & Co., and NetGalley for an accessible digital copy of WHEN TREES TESTIFY. All views are mine.
November 16, 2025
"Trees hold the transformed breath of decades of human life... and testify to history and those of their past"
I learned so much American history and botany through this book. The recency of Jim Crow and sharecropping was something that really struck me while reading this book. Montgomery is GenX (she talks about being in high school in 1989) and in the cotton chapter she talks about how her mother was forced to miss school during the spring to go work the cotton fields supporting her family.
Montgomery featured 8 different plants: Pecans, sycamore, willow, poplar, mulberry, oak cotton and apple trees. With each chapter she wove together (1) her own personal history (and sometimes a travelogue) (2) the botany and biochemistry of the plant and (3) the history of the plant specifically with respect to Black Americans.
I found this structure extremely effective. I learned a lot of botany that I didn't know in an accessible and interesting way! I particularly enjoyed learning about how plants are grafted. I didn't know how that worked!
In general I was struck by the number of Black botanists who were enslaved that held so much botanical knowledge.
It reminded me a bit of the book BLACK IN BLUES where Imani Perry talks about the enslaved botanists who made the cultivation of indigo possible.
A few parts of history that will stick with me: (1) Enslaved women chewing cotton roots to prevent pregnancy (2) Blackdom, New Mexico as a Black settlement outside Roswell, NM where Jim Crow was not in effect. In Blackdom, Black Americans grew Apple Trees for their crop. (3) I had no idea that Mulberry trees were cultivated for silk production!
One small note is that there is a brief HP reference in the Willow chapter.
The setting of this book is primarily Little Rock, Arkansas, but the author also travels to many locations including Charleston, South Carolina and Blackdom, New Mexico (outside of Roswell, NM).
I highly recommend this book! Thank you for Holt books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I learned so much American history and botany through this book. The recency of Jim Crow and sharecropping was something that really struck me while reading this book. Montgomery is GenX (she talks about being in high school in 1989) and in the cotton chapter she talks about how her mother was forced to miss school during the spring to go work the cotton fields supporting her family.
Montgomery featured 8 different plants: Pecans, sycamore, willow, poplar, mulberry, oak cotton and apple trees. With each chapter she wove together (1) her own personal history (and sometimes a travelogue) (2) the botany and biochemistry of the plant and (3) the history of the plant specifically with respect to Black Americans.
I found this structure extremely effective. I learned a lot of botany that I didn't know in an accessible and interesting way! I particularly enjoyed learning about how plants are grafted. I didn't know how that worked!
In general I was struck by the number of Black botanists who were enslaved that held so much botanical knowledge.
It reminded me a bit of the book BLACK IN BLUES where Imani Perry talks about the enslaved botanists who made the cultivation of indigo possible.
A few parts of history that will stick with me: (1) Enslaved women chewing cotton roots to prevent pregnancy (2) Blackdom, New Mexico as a Black settlement outside Roswell, NM where Jim Crow was not in effect. In Blackdom, Black Americans grew Apple Trees for their crop. (3) I had no idea that Mulberry trees were cultivated for silk production!
One small note is that there is a brief HP reference in the Willow chapter.
The setting of this book is primarily Little Rock, Arkansas, but the author also travels to many locations including Charleston, South Carolina and Blackdom, New Mexico (outside of Roswell, NM).
I highly recommend this book! Thank you for Holt books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2025
When Trees Testify is Beronda L. Montgomery’s exploration of trees that are a prominent part of Black history in the United States.
Montgomery delves into a mix of personal connections to these selected species of trees, Black history connected to them, and information about the scientific makeup of the trees themselves.
Over the course of the book she introduces us to the pecan, sycamore, willow, poplar, mulberry, oak, and apple trees as well as the cotton shrub. Some of these trees share many similarities, some are very different. Many can be found not just in the southern United States but across the country and in other parts of world. They all have a shared history with those who breathed the oxygen they respirated, something given freely that was one of the only things given to Black people that suffered the indignity of having so much taken away.
Montgomery explores how the trees could bring Black people together and drive them away. How Black people used their knowledge for better farming and harvesting practices that often didn’t benefit them and medicinal and healing practices that did. Stories about the man who grafted pecan trees to commercialize them, how enslaved women would use parts of these trees to prevent pregnancy, the massacre of a Black community in Arkansas, and Blackdom, a community of Black people in New Mexico who grew apples as part of their crops are all fascinating stories.
Throughout the book she provides personal touches, tying in her own memories of gathering pecans and mulberries, holiday fruit bags with apples and oranges, and hiding away under a massive willow tree appropriately named Willow. I have my own memories of an apple tree that I was devastated to see die the first year it bore fruit. A maple tree I grew from a seed that had grown massive by the time we moved away from my childhood home. The blossoms and picking cherries from the cherry tree in our front yard. The oak tree my grandfather put a wooden swing on, and a pine tree near my grandparents’ home my brother and I would hide under, nestled in the fallen needles and enjoying the scent of the tree mixed with the nearby honeysuckle.
Occasionally it does feel like Montgomery strays too far away from the interconnected theme of trees to focus more heavily on Black history or her own personal connection to a tree. The chapter on poplars, I suspect, was particularly difficult to write and features heavily on the tree’s close connection with the many lynchings that have taken place over the years. It doesn’t seem to explore the tree itself to the same detail as other chapters.
In the chapter about apples and the conclusion, Montgomery starts exploring the role of Black people and their relationship with trees in modern times. I think doing this for each type of tree, as a form of looking to the future while exploring the past and present would have added an extra layer of depth that would have made the book even more interesting.
You probably weren’t expecting a book that combines trees and Black history, but this book makes it work, providing a unique approach to learning more about a group of people who haven’t often had their story told.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Montgomery delves into a mix of personal connections to these selected species of trees, Black history connected to them, and information about the scientific makeup of the trees themselves.
Over the course of the book she introduces us to the pecan, sycamore, willow, poplar, mulberry, oak, and apple trees as well as the cotton shrub. Some of these trees share many similarities, some are very different. Many can be found not just in the southern United States but across the country and in other parts of world. They all have a shared history with those who breathed the oxygen they respirated, something given freely that was one of the only things given to Black people that suffered the indignity of having so much taken away.
Montgomery explores how the trees could bring Black people together and drive them away. How Black people used their knowledge for better farming and harvesting practices that often didn’t benefit them and medicinal and healing practices that did. Stories about the man who grafted pecan trees to commercialize them, how enslaved women would use parts of these trees to prevent pregnancy, the massacre of a Black community in Arkansas, and Blackdom, a community of Black people in New Mexico who grew apples as part of their crops are all fascinating stories.
Throughout the book she provides personal touches, tying in her own memories of gathering pecans and mulberries, holiday fruit bags with apples and oranges, and hiding away under a massive willow tree appropriately named Willow. I have my own memories of an apple tree that I was devastated to see die the first year it bore fruit. A maple tree I grew from a seed that had grown massive by the time we moved away from my childhood home. The blossoms and picking cherries from the cherry tree in our front yard. The oak tree my grandfather put a wooden swing on, and a pine tree near my grandparents’ home my brother and I would hide under, nestled in the fallen needles and enjoying the scent of the tree mixed with the nearby honeysuckle.
Occasionally it does feel like Montgomery strays too far away from the interconnected theme of trees to focus more heavily on Black history or her own personal connection to a tree. The chapter on poplars, I suspect, was particularly difficult to write and features heavily on the tree’s close connection with the many lynchings that have taken place over the years. It doesn’t seem to explore the tree itself to the same detail as other chapters.
In the chapter about apples and the conclusion, Montgomery starts exploring the role of Black people and their relationship with trees in modern times. I think doing this for each type of tree, as a form of looking to the future while exploring the past and present would have added an extra layer of depth that would have made the book even more interesting.
You probably weren’t expecting a book that combines trees and Black history, but this book makes it work, providing a unique approach to learning more about a group of people who haven’t often had their story told.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 7, 2025
I was eager to read Beronda Montgomery's second book following her first, "Lessons from Plants", one of my personal favorites. I had high hopes for "When Trees Testify" and was not disappointed! I absolutely savored every chapter and consider it one of my top favorite reads of this year. "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer is also one of my all-time favorites and "When Trees Testify" is a fantastic companion read. I love how both Montgomery and Kimmerer recognize that they are often under-represented as women of color in their field, but are inspired by ancestral knowledge and childhood experiences to share why plants and nature can foster both a meaningful and scientific sense of wonder in our lives. I am a big fan of Montgomery's writing style of grounding each tree reflection to a personal experience and historical context for Black Americans, while still including the science background. I personally crave learning about science, but also enjoy drawing deep meaning from it. Unfortunately, Montgomery shares about her lifetime journey of carrying the weight of horrific injustice inflicted upon her ancestors, which the trees are often witness to. She shares important lesser-known history and leaves the reader with a sense of hope that ancestral reverence and knowledge is also the key to self-emancipation and healing. Montgomery's second book has solidified her as one of my favorite authors!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Thank you to Henry Holt and the Author for the physical ARC of this book.
I was so excited to have won this book in a giveaway, it's just one of those books that I really enjoyed holding while reading.
The author does a fantastic job of infusing personal stories and history of tree in 8 different chapters. Each chapter focuses on one tree or shrub (cotton) but other botanicals get mentioned just the eight are the main events.
Montgomery does a thoughtful job of discussing the tree and giving you information about the tree while giving you historical information about it at the same time and infusing personal stories about herself and generations past.
It's only seven days in and I can already see this in my top 10 of 2026.
I was so excited to have won this book in a giveaway, it's just one of those books that I really enjoyed holding while reading.
The author does a fantastic job of infusing personal stories and history of tree in 8 different chapters. Each chapter focuses on one tree or shrub (cotton) but other botanicals get mentioned just the eight are the main events.
Montgomery does a thoughtful job of discussing the tree and giving you information about the tree while giving you historical information about it at the same time and infusing personal stories about herself and generations past.
It's only seven days in and I can already see this in my top 10 of 2026.
December 1, 2025
Beronda L. Montgomery explores the connection between seven trees, and cotton shrubs, and black history. The author does a great job connecting botany, history, and memoir all while making it very readable. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a good comparison title, if you read and enjoyed it I definitely recommend picking up this one. I can see myself rereading this in the future and I will definitely be picking up a copy when it comes out.
January 4, 2026
I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to the publisher for the copy!!
Part memoir, part history, part botany, Dr. Montgomery does an excellent job of combining personal experiences with facts. Her writing is evocative and is as informational as it is emotional. I learned a lot from this book and will never look at trees the same way again. Well worth the read!
Part memoir, part history, part botany, Dr. Montgomery does an excellent job of combining personal experiences with facts. Her writing is evocative and is as informational as it is emotional. I learned a lot from this book and will never look at trees the same way again. Well worth the read!
October 20, 2025
Review: When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery
Publisher: Henry Holt
Format: ARC courtesy of the publisher
Montgomery’s When Trees Testify is part memoir, part botanical history, and part cultural reclamation, an elegant and meaningful examination of the way America’s trees carry the untold stories of Black survival, ingenuity, and resistance.
The premise is deceptively simple: explore the ties between eight species of trees (and one shrub) and Black history. But the result is something expansive and resonant. Montgomery treats each tree as a witness, letting its presence in history shape the narrative. The pecan becomes a symbol of both agricultural mastery and economic theft. The poplar, in contrast, is a silent onlooker to horrific violence. The sycamore, willow, cotton shrub, each adds another layer, another thread in this rich tapestry of memory and loss.
What makes this book particularly effective is Montgomery’s ability to blend scientific insight with personal reflection. She brings academic rigor, yes, but also deep vulnerability, folding in childhood stories, ancestral echoes, and generational wisdom. There’s a rhythm to the writing that feels meditative and at times elegiac. Some chapters, like the one on poplars, are emotionally heavy, intentionally so. Others, like the one on apples or mulberries, offer space for sweetness and personal connection.
If the book falters, it’s only in moments where the narrative meanders slightly away from its botanical anchors. A few chapters spend more time on the sociopolitical context than the tree itself, but this seems more a reflection of how entwined human history is with landscape than a structural misstep. Still, there’s a sense that even more future-facing reflection, especially in relation to climate justice and modern Black communities, could have rounded the work more fully.
When Trees Testify is not a fast read, but it is a necessary one. It asks us to listen not just to people, but to the land. To remember that what grows beside us holds memory, too.
If you’re drawn to books like How the Word Is Passed or Braiding Sweetgrass, this belongs on your shelf.
Recommended for: Readers interested in nature writing, Black history, and cultural studies.
Not recommended for: Those expecting a pure botany or science-forward nonfiction read without narrative elements.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Publisher: Henry Holt
Format: ARC courtesy of the publisher
Montgomery’s When Trees Testify is part memoir, part botanical history, and part cultural reclamation, an elegant and meaningful examination of the way America’s trees carry the untold stories of Black survival, ingenuity, and resistance.
The premise is deceptively simple: explore the ties between eight species of trees (and one shrub) and Black history. But the result is something expansive and resonant. Montgomery treats each tree as a witness, letting its presence in history shape the narrative. The pecan becomes a symbol of both agricultural mastery and economic theft. The poplar, in contrast, is a silent onlooker to horrific violence. The sycamore, willow, cotton shrub, each adds another layer, another thread in this rich tapestry of memory and loss.
What makes this book particularly effective is Montgomery’s ability to blend scientific insight with personal reflection. She brings academic rigor, yes, but also deep vulnerability, folding in childhood stories, ancestral echoes, and generational wisdom. There’s a rhythm to the writing that feels meditative and at times elegiac. Some chapters, like the one on poplars, are emotionally heavy, intentionally so. Others, like the one on apples or mulberries, offer space for sweetness and personal connection.
If the book falters, it’s only in moments where the narrative meanders slightly away from its botanical anchors. A few chapters spend more time on the sociopolitical context than the tree itself, but this seems more a reflection of how entwined human history is with landscape than a structural misstep. Still, there’s a sense that even more future-facing reflection, especially in relation to climate justice and modern Black communities, could have rounded the work more fully.
When Trees Testify is not a fast read, but it is a necessary one. It asks us to listen not just to people, but to the land. To remember that what grows beside us holds memory, too.
If you’re drawn to books like How the Word Is Passed or Braiding Sweetgrass, this belongs on your shelf.
Recommended for: Readers interested in nature writing, Black history, and cultural studies.
Not recommended for: Those expecting a pure botany or science-forward nonfiction read without narrative elements.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review of advance copy
While I am grateful for the Audio ARC, I regret to say that I do not recommend this book if you are interested in botany, trees, or forestry. Contrary to the publisher’s blurb, this book has little to do with trees. It is a memoir and family history in which the bulk of Montgomery’s narrative has to do with stories of her life, her family’s life, or events that existed in the towns where her ancestors lived. Her history is the priority and the book is structured accordingly. Interspersed with her personal discourse is the occasional “oh, also, this type of tree was nearby and let’s talk about this type of tree” section. The book reads like an amateur family history written by someone who loves trees and wants to include them in the narrative.
I could have done without the repetition that speaks to poor editing. We know lynching is and continues to be deeply traumatic and triggering; the constant reminders of almost that exact statement suggest that once again, the book is not about trees. I have no idea why the constant "trees remind Black people of lynching" takes up so much of the narrative!? How is this a generative conversation? What does it add to a discourse around trees in 2026? Indeed, what does a surface level observation add to discourse around generational trauma? There are true crime podcasters who speak about lynching with more respect, depth, and nuance than this author.
For a simple example, please see the discussion of lynching at the end of chapter four which leads directly into the "I love jam" rhetoric of chapter five. A page turn is not a magical veil that separates what comes before; especially for audiobook listeners.
Montgomery makes frequent reference to an invitation to “talk to a tree” but this book is much more of a social history than an engagement with a very interesting and compelling practice of speaking to and with the natural world around us. It seems as though someone said “hey, you should write a book!” and she did. And then editors thought, “oh yeah, this sounds great!” And then someone had to compose a bizarre subtitle that should have been my first clue that this book would have no central theme. Reader, the theme is the author.
Make no mistake. This is a type of memoir. I wish it had been billed honestly. I would have skipped it and then not felt compelled to help other readers avoid a memoir in their search for an engagement with trees.
I could have done without the repetition that speaks to poor editing. We know lynching is and continues to be deeply traumatic and triggering; the constant reminders of almost that exact statement suggest that once again, the book is not about trees. I have no idea why the constant "trees remind Black people of lynching" takes up so much of the narrative!? How is this a generative conversation? What does it add to a discourse around trees in 2026? Indeed, what does a surface level observation add to discourse around generational trauma? There are true crime podcasters who speak about lynching with more respect, depth, and nuance than this author.
For a simple example, please see the discussion of lynching at the end of chapter four which leads directly into the "I love jam" rhetoric of chapter five. A page turn is not a magical veil that separates what comes before; especially for audiobook listeners.
Montgomery makes frequent reference to an invitation to “talk to a tree” but this book is much more of a social history than an engagement with a very interesting and compelling practice of speaking to and with the natural world around us. It seems as though someone said “hey, you should write a book!” and she did. And then editors thought, “oh yeah, this sounds great!” And then someone had to compose a bizarre subtitle that should have been my first clue that this book would have no central theme. Reader, the theme is the author.
Make no mistake. This is a type of memoir. I wish it had been billed honestly. I would have skipped it and then not felt compelled to help other readers avoid a memoir in their search for an engagement with trees.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An absolutely delightful and important book! I really didn’t know how trees were important in black history, so this is what drew me initially to this book. And, having read Finding The Mother Tree by Suzanne Simand, I’m hooked on books about trees.
The author takes us on an historical journey - and in part memoir - about how trees impacted blacks or how blacks contributed to American agriculture with the knowledge they brought over to this country from their native countries as slaves (an important piece of history that has been erased or forgotten and needs to be brought to the light). And then as she highlights each tree’s significance, we are called to see the beauty of the tree as well as at times its tragic relationship to black history, such as the willow or the sycamore tree.
I really enjoyed the history in this book. The author highlights a tree in each chapter and points out important facts about it in history - whether they are associated with black history or not, these should not be forgotten. In particular I enjoyed the Willow chapter and its discussion of the Elaine Massacre. One of my favorite books is On the Laps of Gods by Robert Whitaker which is about this event - and when the case came before the Supreme Court (lead by Scipio Africanus Jones), it set legal precedents for the civil rights movement. I also enjoyed learning about all the oak trees associated with significant black events. Blacks may not have erected vile civil war statutes whites seem to need to do, but they did whites one better: their monuments are living in nature.
I especially was stirred by the sycamore chapter and its reference to it being a tree associated with lynchings. To violate a living and beautiful piece of nature this way is a sad statement on humans.
In our days of craziness over “woke,” this book points out why “woke” is important: you may think you can erase history but you can’t. Thank you, Brenda! Truth will always prevail. This is a must read!
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to read this exceptional book.
The author takes us on an historical journey - and in part memoir - about how trees impacted blacks or how blacks contributed to American agriculture with the knowledge they brought over to this country from their native countries as slaves (an important piece of history that has been erased or forgotten and needs to be brought to the light). And then as she highlights each tree’s significance, we are called to see the beauty of the tree as well as at times its tragic relationship to black history, such as the willow or the sycamore tree.
I really enjoyed the history in this book. The author highlights a tree in each chapter and points out important facts about it in history - whether they are associated with black history or not, these should not be forgotten. In particular I enjoyed the Willow chapter and its discussion of the Elaine Massacre. One of my favorite books is On the Laps of Gods by Robert Whitaker which is about this event - and when the case came before the Supreme Court (lead by Scipio Africanus Jones), it set legal precedents for the civil rights movement. I also enjoyed learning about all the oak trees associated with significant black events. Blacks may not have erected vile civil war statutes whites seem to need to do, but they did whites one better: their monuments are living in nature.
I especially was stirred by the sycamore chapter and its reference to it being a tree associated with lynchings. To violate a living and beautiful piece of nature this way is a sad statement on humans.
In our days of craziness over “woke,” this book points out why “woke” is important: you may think you can erase history but you can’t. Thank you, Brenda! Truth will always prevail. This is a must read!
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to read this exceptional book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4 stars
I enjoyed this read very much because it was so different from anything I've typically encountered. The author's passion for botany, history, culture, and personal stories comes through clearly via a tightly woven narrative that is both rational and emotional.
A feature of this book that might cause some readers to struggle a bit is the, at times, extended descriptions of botanical elements. As a houseplant enthusiast and a hardcore gardener outdoors, I found this fascinating, but folks coming here purely for the personal aspects need to know this is a vital part of the conversation, too. The title provides a solid message, but still.
Montgomery draws together so much fascinating information about what roles specific trees have played in Black American culture and experience, and she also incorporates broader conversations about racism in modern society, as well as her personal experience as a Black woman existing in these spaces and making choices about when to take on unwanted educational roles or choose self care.
This is such a creative concept, and I love how much I learned from this well narrated audiobook. I'm glad I took a step outside of my usual selections; it really paid off here.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I enjoyed this read very much because it was so different from anything I've typically encountered. The author's passion for botany, history, culture, and personal stories comes through clearly via a tightly woven narrative that is both rational and emotional.
A feature of this book that might cause some readers to struggle a bit is the, at times, extended descriptions of botanical elements. As a houseplant enthusiast and a hardcore gardener outdoors, I found this fascinating, but folks coming here purely for the personal aspects need to know this is a vital part of the conversation, too. The title provides a solid message, but still.
Montgomery draws together so much fascinating information about what roles specific trees have played in Black American culture and experience, and she also incorporates broader conversations about racism in modern society, as well as her personal experience as a Black woman existing in these spaces and making choices about when to take on unwanted educational roles or choose self care.
This is such a creative concept, and I love how much I learned from this well narrated audiobook. I'm glad I took a step outside of my usual selections; it really paid off here.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Shelf Awareness Pro
This book had a lot on the surface, but didn't get into the substance of most of what it was saying. The exceptions were the stories Beronda L. Montgomery told about her parents and grandparents, and the different traumas they suffered. This was most especially poignant in her chapter about the cotton shrub, which affected her mother's life so deeply. There was a lot of very interesting information that was mentioned quickly, or mentioned in passing that I would have loved to hear more about, but clearly the author is more of a scientist and less of a historian. (One of the tantalizing things mentioned in passing was that it used to be illegal in the South for black people to eat vanilla ice expect on the Fourth of July. Hence, why they came up with butter pecan ice cream. Such a crazy rule.) Still I really liked this book, and thought it gave such interesting information about trees, including the fact that they remember and become our breath and emotions. I also loved that Montgomery visited the almost forgotten ghost town of Blackdom here in New Mexico.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a gardener and plant lover who also has an interest in history, I thought this book was compelling. A lot of the botanical facts were pretty standard if you’re already interested in botany, but would be of great use to someone who is dipping their toes in for the first time.
I was slightly disappointed that botanical facts and historical connections to plants took a backseat to the authors own memories and experiences. This definitely read more like a memoir with facts interspersed but if you’re open to reading a memoir then this is a good one. I think there was a lot of repetition that could have been edited out but I admire the author for all of her accomplishments and the courage to be vulnerable in her writing. I would recommend this to anybody interested in narrative accounts of history and botany.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I was slightly disappointed that botanical facts and historical connections to plants took a backseat to the authors own memories and experiences. This definitely read more like a memoir with facts interspersed but if you’re open to reading a memoir then this is a good one. I think there was a lot of repetition that could have been edited out but I admire the author for all of her accomplishments and the courage to be vulnerable in her writing. I would recommend this to anybody interested in narrative accounts of history and botany.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was gifted an advanced readers copy through a Little Free Library giveaway by Henry Holt to put in my Little Free Library. After reading the blurb, I was so drawn to this book that I decided to read it before putting it in my library. I couldn't stop turning the pages, and finished it in under 24hrs. The testimony from Montgomery, whose family was directly impacted by chattel slavery, following racial injustices, and generational trauma, was incredibly eye-opening. Montgomery explains how closely botany is interwoven with Black history and culture, focusing on seven trees and the cotton plant domesticated by enslaved Black Americans. Montgomery flawlessly combines her own family testimony, knowledge of botany, and research. The contents of this book will stay with me long after closing the pages, and I will never again look at a tree the same way.
January 10, 2026
While I also learned a lot about trees (and other plants) in this book at its core this is an exploration of the relationship Black Americans have experienced with them over the years.
It’s a complicated relationship with both beauty and horror often existing side by side. While familiar with it in practice through family and friends, this is the first time I’ve heard/read the term ‘land trauma’ and one that resonated deeply with my husband.
Y'all keep reading and seeking out these stories. You aren’t likely to learn about them in k-12 education and very few college courses. Our history is important to understand from more than the sliver we’re generally taught.
It’s a complicated relationship with both beauty and horror often existing side by side. While familiar with it in practice through family and friends, this is the first time I’ve heard/read the term ‘land trauma’ and one that resonated deeply with my husband.
Y'all keep reading and seeking out these stories. You aren’t likely to learn about them in k-12 education and very few college courses. Our history is important to understand from more than the sliver we’re generally taught.
November 16, 2025
Both fascinating and illuminating, this book weaves nature, history and memoir so seamlessly. The chapters are organized by different trees and, each tree is interesting in its own right. So many of these majestic trees witnessed the worst in humanity and guided the enslaved with hope to freedom. But also, each of these trees have a personal meaning to the author as she goes into American History and her family roots through a black lens. I loved this.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This is an absolutely stunning book with the most unusual subject matter. Who knew that botany could be so interesting and who knew that botany and Black history could be woven into such a mesmerizing read.
Montgomery is a force to be reckoned with!
Montgomery is a force to be reckoned with!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sweet read, huge potential and enjoyable. It’s the kind of book that stays with me long after the final chapter. A few tweaks could really boost sales, visibility, and reviews. Dm through profile details,if you’d like detailed suggestions.
November 20, 2025
This is a story of African American slaves who domesticated several variety of wild American trees, such as pecan trees etc. Very interesting and informative. Highly recommend.
January 5, 2026
Trees guide the reader through Black American history. The book moves seamlessly from botanical to historical. I hope to never look at a tree in the same way.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
There is so much to reflect upon after reading this. So much history that had never been taught to me and even closer to present day events and individuals I had heard nothing about. I have a great urge now to plant some trees and ensure a legacy for the future.
Won and received a copy through a Goodreads Giveaway!
Won and received a copy through a Goodreads Giveaway!
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