Russell, Sharman Apt. Anatomy of a rose; exploring the secret life of flowers - Book Review

Kliatt, Sept, 2002 by Gloria Bryant

Perseus. 215p. bibliog. index. c2001. 0-7382-0669-5. $13.00. SA

On every page of this multifaceted, beautifully written book about flowering plants (no, not just roses) is something to make you smile and something to make you think. Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell explores such mysteries and wonders as the power of communication between plants, the promise held out by plant-derived drugs, and the capacity of various flowers to send communiques to their pollinators. (In her chapter "Travelin' Man," Russell reflects with characteristic humor on how "pollen has a job to do, going down that long, lonesome highway ...")

A dozen graceful drawings by Liddy Hubbell complement the text, making it possible, for example, not only to read Russell's fascinating description of the cereus cactus, which blossoms only briefly once a year at night, but also to see what the blazing, short-lived bloom looks like. The inclusion of an extensive index and bibliography help make this information-packed book a valuable resource for science teachers, especially those planning units on botany, genetics and evolution, ecology, bioengineering, and the history of science. With its clear, vibrant, often whimsical prose, Anatomy of a Rose is also an English teacher's dream--a model of well-written memoir. And with its stunning range of topics (early Greek fascination with flowery perfumes, the intriguing number patterns found in nature known as Fibonacci numbers, the relationship between colors and emotion) it offers many interdisciplinary tie-ins between science and other classes such as world studies, math and health.

Much as Rachel Carson did in decades past, Russell sounds the environmental alarm--from a new slant: she argues that protecting flowering plants is essential to our own survival and offers rich evidence for her thesis. Some of her support is predictable--such as her explanation of the conversion of usable energy by chlorophyll--but much is probably not. Who knew that sunflowers have been used at Chernobyl for decontamination, for instance--or that the bitter kola nut may combat the ravages of the Ebola virus?

This is a treasure that will be appreciated especially by readers who enjoy the meditative science writing of Lewis Thomas, Annie Dillard, Stephen Gould, and Loren Eisley. Gloria Bryant, Reading & English Teacher, Hoover M.S., Potomac, MD