Mushrooms are hardcore. They turn death into life. Some of them are delicious; some of them can clean up hazardous waste. (Don’t get them confused. The wrong one could turn life into death.)

In Search of Mycotopia is a rollicking tour of the science of fungi and the fittingly from-the-ground-up communities of people who grow them. Like any good science writer, the author mixes a modicum of salty language (the first of a few f-bombs is on page 3), humor, and descriptions that are just technical enough to get the point across. And he doesn’t flinch at erudite but expressive vocabulary, making me feel smarter not only from learning about fungi but also by remembering—and learning—rarely-seen words. (I didn’t know duff, tarn, and lots of fungus-related terms. I find this delightful. Readers who would yeet Foucault’s Pendulum will occasionally want a good dictionary.)

Beyond the science of fungi, Bierend focuses on the people and organizations who have come together to promote knowledge of mycology, and the multifarious modes in which they’ve learned to function together. That’s what I found most fascinating by the end: people who appreciate mushrooms and the threads of mycelia from which they sprout tend to take life tips from the subject of their fascination.

This book would shine on an undergrad syllabus for Science and Society.

I am grateful to the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free advance review copy.