Noam’s Reviews > The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins > Status Update

'Saving an abandoned forest? As I suggested earlier, in American sensibilities an "abandoned forest" is already an oxymoron. Forests flourish without human interference. The greening of New England after its farmers moved West is a point of regional pride. Abandoned fields turn into forests, abandonment frees forests to reclaim their space.' p.259

'Dr. Iwase is generous with foreigners and willing to guide them. So he mentioned that the stratosphere is full of fungal spores; at those high altitudes they blow around the earth.' p.228

One of the most miraculous things about forests is that they sometimes grow back after they have been destroyed. We might think of this as resilience, or as ecological remediation, and I find these concepts useful. But what if we pushed even further by thinking through resurgence?' p.179

'Many people think fungi are plants, but they are actually closer to animals. Fungi do not make their food from sunlight, as plants do. Like animals, fungi must find something to eat.' p.137

'What do you do when your world starts to fall apart? I go for a walk, and if I'm really lucky, I find mushrooms.' p.1