To many of us, tropical forests are the domain of movies and novels, picturesque but irrelevant to our lives. Arguing that forests have shaped nearly every aspect of life on earth, archaeologist Patrick Roberts points out that they made the planet habitable, enabled the rise of dinosaurs and mammals, and spread flowering plants. Roberts also posits that humans evolved in jungles—developing agriculture and infrastructure unlike anything found elsewhere—and these places can still teach us how to live more sustainably and equitably today. "
[This book is a] bold, ambitious and truly wonderful history of the world."—Peter Wohlleben