“The Mushroom at the End of the World” by Anna Tsing – let’s discuss!

Welcome back readers, it’s the non-fiction round and we’re continuing our biology-inspired streak: Our pick this time is “The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins” by Chinese-American anthropologist Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing.

Here’s an extremely dense synopsis:

> What a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet: Matsutake is the most valuable mushroom in the world—and a weed that grows in human-disturbed forests across the northern hemisphere. Through its ability to nurture trees, matsutake helps forests to grow in daunting places. It is also an edible delicacy in Japan, where it sometimes commands astronomical prices. In all its contradictions, matsutake offers insights into areas far beyond just mushrooms and addresses a crucial what manages to live in the ruins we have made? A tale of diversity within our damaged landscapes, The Mushroom at the End of the World follows one of the strangest commodity chains of our times to explore the unexpected corners of capitalism. Here, we witness the varied and peculiar worlds of matsutake the worlds of Japanese gourmets, capitalist traders, Hmong jungle fighters, industrial forests, Yi Chinese goat herders, Finnish nature guides, and more. These companions also lead us into fungal ecologies and forest histories to better understand the promise of cohabitation in a time of massive human destruction. By investigating one of the world's most sought-after fungi, The Mushroom at the End of the World presents an original examination into the relation between capitalist destruction and collaborative survival within multispecies landscapes, the prerequisite for continuing life on earth.

Or you could just trust Ursula K. LeGuin who said: “I’m very grateful to have this book.”

You can find more information and reviews on the book’s GoodReads page.

Curious to join us? Then order a copy at your local book shop or online:

• The book on Bookshop
• The book at Princeton University Press
• The book on Amazon
• Search for used copies on Abebooks

A very affordable e-book is available, as well as translations into many languages and audio versions.

Our meeting is scheduled for July 22, 2025 and we usually discuss in English for 1.5-2 hours. You definitely don’t need a literature degree to participate! It’s important to us to listen to each other, to treat everyone with respect and to create a safe setting.

The discussion takes place virtually in Zoom and the meeting link will be added to this event on the day it happens. Just check back here half an hour before the meetup starts!

It doesn’t matter if you have actually finished the book or whether you’ve attended before – everyone is welcome, as long as you have read at least a few pages and bring your impression.