To Speak for the Trees: My Life's Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest

This book is as interesting and unusual an autobiography as it is an exceptional book about trees. The author’s literary skill and storytelling gift, combined with her deep knowledge make this book as satisfying as it is worthwhile. I can recommend it for both beginners as well as experts in the knowledge of trees.

I so appreciated this memoir. Diana has lived an amazing life, bridging ancient Celtic healing and communal life to the present day. Her deep love and respect for trees and all they have to offer to us is palpable in the stories she tells. Her story is inspiring, particularly in an age when we refuse to own up to the harm we have done and are continuing to wreak on the natural world around us. The Celtic Alphabet of Trees that makes up Part Two is a wonderful resource that I plan to savor one tree at a time. For this reason, I am glad I purchased a physical book this time so I can take it with me into the woods where it seems best to read it.

Excellent book! Well written, and if you don't have time to read, get it as an audible- even better because the author narrates it herself and she has a lovely Irish accent. Such a GREAT book!! I learned so much! And it was easy to read and absolutely fascinating.

I’d have given 5 stars if she’d just added one more “call to arms” at the end, for her bio plan to reforest the world. Why are there no organizations listed for work in this area? That is an opportunity lost, in my opinion, tho I will do that on my own. At any rate, I bought 3 copies to share after reading the first half of the book.

Told like a tale though rich with information and science, and with a great purpose, full of heart.

So much care is inside this book. Care for trees. Care for earth. Care for ancient ways of knowing. I've read it again and again.

I just finished reading this book & will miss reading it. It's an unusual combination of being about the authors life growing up mainly in Ireland & eventually ending up in Canada, as well "speaking for the trees" and drawing on such a rich body of knowledge derived from ancient and modern-day science. She had quite a bereft stilted childhood that is reflected in how the first part of the book is written, but as we are a witness to her growing up years and adulthood, her writing becomes quite beautiful & the way she speaks for trees is extraordinary. Trees are not only magnificant unto themselves, they are essential to our lives - they release mist into the air that creates clouds so we have fresh water, they provide oxygen, medicine, food, etc.I was suprised by how much I learned about trees I didn't already know given how long I've been fascinated by them. I'm also of Irish descent and found it engrossing for that reason as well. All in all, it's one of my favorite books.

Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s book felt like a breath of fresh air. She shared Celtic wisdom, often confirmed by modern science, intended to heal body and soul. I was struck by one thing in particular. She described the treatment of an orphan in the 20th century in Catholic Ireland as a threatening experience where a court told her she could be sent to a Magdalene Laundry unless claimed by a relative and making “progress”. Then she explained that based on the Celtic Brehon Laws, an orphan was not abandoned, but rather became the responsibility of everyone in the community. Everyone helped to raise and educate a child who was left without parents. What a startling contrast. Beresford-Kroeger wants to share Celtic wisdom with us, and it seems that we are desperately in need of it.

I love a good tree book, and this one will grace my shelf of nature books. What I wasn't prepared for was the very different history lessons from the ones I received in my Canadian school textbooks growing up in the 70's and 80's. It literally changed my perception about my ancesters who fled to Canada during the famine years. I knew they suffered, but now I understand it wasn't just about a potato blight. Fascinating book. Highly recommend.

I kinda liked this book as it has a very informal way of passing on information, not unlike having a chat with a very knowledgeable friend. The downside for me was that it was like having a chat with a very knowledgeable friend. This approach can feel pseudoscientific at times, even though it isn’t. Diana walks a very fine line in her way of writing and teaching, but it resonated with me and I think that I would rather like to learn a lot more about her work.I fully intend to read a couple more of her books

I loved this book. It is an intriguing window into ancient Celtic wisdom about plants, especially trees. It is also a very thought provoking book, with lots of hope and ideas for how to move forward and live in a way that will return our planet to health. Finally, it's an amazing story of the author's life. Great book.

What an extraordinary woman & life. I first read about her, fictionalised, in Richard Powers' 'The Overstory' & had to follow her up. A life of service to trees & humans & life full stop. I loved this. So full of story, humanness, treeness & well, wisdom actually, passed down from her Celtic forebears. At times I despair at the loss of wisdom in the world of how we need to live in harmony with everything that lives. This reminds me that it does live on in some who do amazing work in the world.

Brilliant One of the Best Books I ever read, the Intention the depth the story the science, the point of it Just soo important so beautiful, an inspiring and Giving book!