FTH The Attentive Heart

by Stephanie Kaza

The author shares her impressions of trees and their place in the environment

Genres: Nature, Spirituality, Buddhism, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published June 15, 1993

Reviews

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I orginally read this book when it first came out. I loved it enough at the time that I bought a copy to give my father for Christmas since spending time in nature is one of our shared joys. My father is now in full-time care for Alzheimer's. I discovered the copy I had given him among his still-extensive book collection during a visit this summer and started reading the essays aloud to him. I don't know that he followed all of the more philosophic thoughts but he very much enjoyed the descriptions of and relationships with trees. The darker essays of the destruction humans have wrecked upon the earth, and trees in particular, in the "Entering the Tangle" section disturbed him, however, and I had to skip them in my read-aloud. My mother, listening to my reading aloud as well, was inspired by the essays to think and write about the trees that she has had a special relationship in her life. I finished up my re-read on my own as before-bed reading. An engaging, thought-provoking, and memory-igniting collection of essays about trees with an environmental and especially Buddhist perspective.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever gasped at the beauty of a tree, or a stand of trees, or a forest, this book will take you to places deeper than you'd think you'd ever go... with trees.
Here is just one passage: "The voice of a forest is an elusive thing. It sings in the sweet warbles of purple finches and Swainson's thrushes. It rustles in the leaves dancing in the afternoon sunlight. It buzzes in the slim sounds of crickets and mosquitoes. It creaks in the sway of tree trunks rubbing against each other. I wonder when a tree gains its voice."

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom gave me this book I think, when I graduated from highschool, or when I was in highschool, something like that. My copy is hardback, and the pen and ink drawings are to-die-for, of beautiful, gorgeous trees.

I think this is a great compliment to the library of anyone who has gotten caught up in the global warming storm. However, this takes it from a much more poetic perspective. I remember, after I read this, and I went to UC Santa Cruz, I used to feel pain hearing a tree cut down.

[Bertha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5; I enjoyed how the author writes with such ease and also the details she expresses of her connection with trees.

“The sun has set, and the top of the tree is drifting into silence. Streetlights have come on along the path; the sunbath is over. The turning point of the day is not unlike the turning point of the year. Both are delicate transitions from one extreme to another, fraught with the danger of hurrying. The voice of impermanence is the only one singing into the black night, with little to offer the lis-tener. In the poignancy of this melody it is hard to leave the light. I am hesitant and uncertain in welcoming the dark. Bound together in this rhythm, the ginkgo and I walk into the night.”

[Raoul W · Rating 2 out of 5]

a philosopher contemplating life and feeling with trees ... makes you want to go get lost in a forest and lie down under a tree ... and listen

[Jason Prodoehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I'd like this book. While it didn't exactly fall into what I thought it was, it was an interesting read. I admire the author's passion for trees, and for her descriptions about trees. To me, it didn't seem like a conversations WITH trees, but more of a description of what it is like to be around certain trees. If you love trees and nature, you may find this book worth a look.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I reserved a copy through ILL and when the wait was long, I bought a used copy. But for me, the prose fell flat because the author talked about her emotional interactions with trees. I love trees so much that I became a certified arborist and have helped to plant over 2000 trees over the last five years. so I could relate to her wanting to talk about trees. But the conversation seemed one-sided, Kaza-centric. I guess that if there had been interact of more than just the author's interaction with the trees, I would have found it more appealing.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Buddhist naturalist claims writing with trees is a Zen form of shikantaza which means "just sitting". Kaza writes of her lasting bonds with various trees, the magnificent golden leafed gingko, the quiet of the bay laurels, the grace of the willow, the vigor of the oak, the flow of the American elm and the ash and the toughness of the hickory. Equally fascinating are the illusrations which are reproductions of hand printed lithographs. I love trees but am not in the same circle as the author.

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My bedroom is a second-story lookout in a house on a hill with an expansive view of the family forests of Peacham VT. Front row center for wild communing with crazy nature weather and sky. Stephanie Kaza's essays on her life with trees became my daily dip into sharing a mutual discovery of the essence of real life, slow-reading her forays and insights within (mostly) Western US forests. I'm grateful for the journey.

[carl theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning a bit more about trees, for example the ginkgo chapter, overall a bit
too tree-hugging for me, and I'm a tree-hugger, but of the more practical sort, I prefer planting the things but musing over them can be fun too.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly inspirational and beautiful. It speaks to the spirit and the need to be present in the moment. The author conveys respect and true appreciation of trees as living beings that we humans can relate to.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolute favorite books of the year. You will look at everything on earth differently after reading these beautiful essays about learning from trees.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book about tree-hugging.

[John Pendrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and her conversations with trees.