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Concrete Botany: The Ecology of Plants in the Age of Human Disturbance
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26
Concrete Botany
is a gritty, kick-in-the-guts look at the ecological disturbance humans have caused and the resilience of the plants living amongst it.
Delivered in his raw and unapologetic yet botanically accurate tone, Joey Santore—the unforgettable host of Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t—offers an often unsettling view of human-caused ecological destruction and its impact on the natural ecosystems our very lives depend on.
The choices of modern civilization have led to a f***ed-up planet, scraped bare and covered in concrete and invasive species. We’ve wiped out entire ecosystems, moved invasive plants to new continents where they don’t belong, and, in a few hundred years, we’ve managed to muck up the intricate balance of a planet that has been evolving for eons. The consequences of our actions are now at our doorstep, ready to strike a match.
But not all is lost. In this groundbreaking examination of plants and their role in the Anthropocene (the age of human disturbance), we see light through the cracks in the concrete and learn that humanity’s course correction starts with an understanding of plant ecology. With this knowledge comes the realization that the lives of humans and plants are interconnected in ways humans cannot live without. Plants are the base of every terrestrial ecosystem on the planet, and their presence can heal the damage humanity has caused. Our willingness to restore native plant communities and the biodiversity they support (starting in our immediate surroundings) is an essential first step in the right direction.
While returning every abandoned brownfield and old rail corridor into a native plant–filled, fully restored ecosystem may be out of reach for the average citizen, fostering the native ecology and biodiversity of our own backyards is not. Concrete Botany is ultimately about how the choices we make as individuals can help ensure humanity’s survival on a very disturbed and rapidly changing planet.
Delivered in his raw and unapologetic yet botanically accurate tone, Joey Santore—the unforgettable host of Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t—offers an often unsettling view of human-caused ecological destruction and its impact on the natural ecosystems our very lives depend on.
The choices of modern civilization have led to a f***ed-up planet, scraped bare and covered in concrete and invasive species. We’ve wiped out entire ecosystems, moved invasive plants to new continents where they don’t belong, and, in a few hundred years, we’ve managed to muck up the intricate balance of a planet that has been evolving for eons. The consequences of our actions are now at our doorstep, ready to strike a match.
But not all is lost. In this groundbreaking examination of plants and their role in the Anthropocene (the age of human disturbance), we see light through the cracks in the concrete and learn that humanity’s course correction starts with an understanding of plant ecology. With this knowledge comes the realization that the lives of humans and plants are interconnected in ways humans cannot live without. Plants are the base of every terrestrial ecosystem on the planet, and their presence can heal the damage humanity has caused. Our willingness to restore native plant communities and the biodiversity they support (starting in our immediate surroundings) is an essential first step in the right direction.
While returning every abandoned brownfield and old rail corridor into a native plant–filled, fully restored ecosystem may be out of reach for the average citizen, fostering the native ecology and biodiversity of our own backyards is not. Concrete Botany is ultimately about how the choices we make as individuals can help ensure humanity’s survival on a very disturbed and rapidly changing planet.
224 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 7, 2026
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411 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First I want to thank Joey Santore, Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book before its release to the general public.
Concrete Botany is a sobering read into the far-reaching consequences of humanity's wholesale destruction of our natural habitat. Joey simultaneously provides a thorough education into the subject of botany, whilst not being afraid to exact pointed criticism, something that is uncommon in educational books and is refreshing to see here.
Far too often educational media timidly avoids getting political or holding a strong stance on contemporary issues. This book is an example of the opposite, and I mean that as a compliment.
Joey is a self-taught botanist who got into the field perhaps a little later than some do, but is not a layman by any means, and has clearly invested a great deal of time and effort into refining his knowledge, and is subsequently well respected within his field.
A considerable amount of information is presented in this book, and in a way that never feels dry or clinical. With each concept introduced he gives real-world examples of how that knowledge can be applied in practice to our daily lives.
Concrete Botany is a sobering read into the far-reaching consequences of humanity's wholesale destruction of our natural habitat. Joey simultaneously provides a thorough education into the subject of botany, whilst not being afraid to exact pointed criticism, something that is uncommon in educational books and is refreshing to see here.
Far too often educational media timidly avoids getting political or holding a strong stance on contemporary issues. This book is an example of the opposite, and I mean that as a compliment.
Joey is a self-taught botanist who got into the field perhaps a little later than some do, but is not a layman by any means, and has clearly invested a great deal of time and effort into refining his knowledge, and is subsequently well respected within his field.
A considerable amount of information is presented in this book, and in a way that never feels dry or clinical. With each concept introduced he gives real-world examples of how that knowledge can be applied in practice to our daily lives.
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March 9, 2026I have read this book recently. I like its title "Concrete Botany". This book is written by Joey Santore. This book is related to science. It has a large amount of description of many species of plants. It is a very useful book to know about the life cycle of plants. It has found information about the evolution of plants. It has a lot of knowledge about geography, culture and nature etc. It explains the behavior of human beings to the other living beings. This book describes how nature make the rules for everyone but human always break them. They also create a horrific circumstances for every one. They also destroy the Ecosystem of Earth. This book gives an ides how we can make pure environment in our planet with the help of plants and trees. This book could have been extraordinary if it had been more diagrams.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews