• The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth cover image
1 1

Harper Perennial

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger

$19.99 USD
$19.99 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2024 • TIME’s 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 • New York Magazine’s 10 Best Books of the Year • Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction of 2024 • Smithsonian’s 10 Best Science Books of the Year •  A Best Book of the Year: Boston Globe, Scientific American,New York Public Library, Christian Science Monitor, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly • An Amazon Best Nonfiction Book of the Year

Longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Nonfiction Prize • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History

“A masterpiece of science writing.” –Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass

“Mesmerizing, world-expanding, and achingly beautiful.” –Ed Yong, author of An Immense World

“Rich, vital, and full of surprises. Read it!” –Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky and The Sixth Extinction 

Award-winning Atlantic staff writer Zoë Schlanger delivers a groundbreaking work of popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom, “destabilizing not just how we see the green things of the world but also our place in the hierarchy of beings, and maybe the notion of that hierarchy itself.” (The New Yorker)

It takes tremendous biological creativity to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. In recent years, scientists have learned about their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit, to name just a few remarkable talents.

The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In looking closely, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Zoë Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close.

What can we learn about life on Earth from the living things that thrive, adapt, consume, and accommodate simultaneously? More important, what do we owe these life forms once we come to understand their rich and varied abilities? Examining the latest epiphanies in botanical research, Schlanger spotlights the intellectual struggles among the researchers conceiving a wholly new view of their subject, offering a glimpse of a field in turmoil as plant scientists debate the tenets of ongoing discoveries and how they influence our understanding of what a plant is.

We need plants to survive. But what do they need us for—if at all? An eye-opening and informative look at the ecosystem we live in, this book challenges us to rethink the role of plants—and our own place—in the natural world.

View full details

Store Policies - Shipping and In Store Pick Up

PAYMENTS & ORDER CANCELLATIONS

  • All sales are final.
  • We do not allow order cancellations once an order has been placed. This includes all books, merchandise, and preorders.
  • Please review your cart carefully before checking out.
  • Discount codes cannot be applied retroactively.

 IN-STORE PICKUP POLICY

  • You will receive an email once your order is ready for pickup. Please wait for this email before coming in to check on your order.
  • Bring your receipt or order confirmation email that includes your order number when picking up. 
  • You have 14 days from the date your order is marked "ready for pickup" to collect it.

After 14 days, unclaimed orders will be restocked, and no refund will be issued unless you contact our customer service team within the 14-day window at erin@whiterosebooksandmore.com to let us know a date in which you will be picking up your order. 

 RETURNS & REFUNDS

Online Return / Exchange Policy

  • We do not accept returns.
  • We offer store credit or a partial refund on a case-by-case basis if your item arrives damaged or there is a fulfillment error on our end. 

To request assistance:

  • Email erin@whiterosebooksandmore.com within 30 days of the delivery date.
  • Include your order number and clear photos of the issue.
  • We do not offer full refunds under any circumstance.

In-Store Return / Exchange Policy

  • We do not offer returns, but are happy to offer exchanges for eligible items in certain circumstances. 
  • Exchanges must be made within 7 days of purchase
  • Items must be in new, unused condition with original packaging
  • Books must be unread and free of damage (no bent pages, cracked spines, or markings).
  • Sale items, special event items, blind dates, and final sale items are not eligible for exchange.
  • Exchanges made in-store require the original receipt for proof of purchase.
  • Exchanges must be made for an item of equal or lesser value, or customer pays the difference. We cannot exchange for store credit.

DAMAGED ITEMS POLICY

We consider an item damaged if:

  • There are deep scratches or gouges on the cover, spine, or dust jacket.
  • Pages are missing or misprinted.
  • There is significant water damage or binding issues.
  • Tears larger than 2 inches are visible.

    We do not consider the following as damage:
  • Minor corner dents or edge wear.
  • Light scuff marks or scratches.
  • Small cosmetic imperfections under 2 inches.

All claims are handled case by case. If approved, we may offer store credit, a replacement (if inventory allows). Damage exchanges only are applicable to items that are shipped and not on in store purchases.

SHIPPING POLICY

Fulfillment Timeline

  • Orders are processed within 3 weeks.
  • Pre-Order Campaign titles begin to be shipped ON THE RELEASE DATE, not before. You will NOT receive your shipped pre-order on the release date. You MAY receive a pre-order for in-store pick up on the release date depending on our receiving and processing schedule.
  • If your order contains a preorder item, your entire order will be held until all items are ready to ship.

Carriers & Tracking

  • Double check that you are selecting the shipping carrier and method that you would like at check out. Media Mail does not have insurance and we cannot provide a refund or reshipment of items shipped via Media Mail.
  • You will receive a tracking link once your order is dropped off with the carrier.
  • A shipping label being created does not mean your order has shipped yet. Tracking updates may take anywhere from 1-2 weeks.

Flat Rate Shipping

  • All orders are charged a flat shipping rate, shown at checkout via media mail, or by weight for other shipping methods.
  • We ship anywhere USPS, DHL, UPS or FedEx are legally allowed to ship to. Shipping internationally has its own risks and may result in tariffs or fees on the end of our customers. Please order internationally at your own risk.

Incorrect Addresses & Returned Packages

  • If a package is returned due to an incorrect or incomplete address, the customer is responsible for return shipping costs.
  • If the reship fee is not paid, the order will not be resent or refunded.

Replacements

If a replacement is approved:

  • The original item must be returned before a replacement is sent.
  • We will provide a return shipping label, and the cost of the label will be invoiced to the customer before the replacement is sent.
  • The label must be used or scanned within 5 business days (excluding holidays).
  • Once the return is marked as delivered to us, your replacement will be processed within 30 days (excluding holidays).

 LOST PACKAGES

  • If your tracking number shows a package as "delivered" but you have not received it:
    Wait 5 business days, as carriers sometimes scan early.
    If the package still hasn’t arrived, contact us at erin@whiterosebooksandmore.com within 14 days of the delivery date.
    We are unable to assist with lost packages after 14 days.

EVENT BOOK PICKUP POLICY

If your event ticket includes a book and you did not make it to our event:

  • You have 14 days to pick it up in-store.
    OR
  • You may request shipping within 14 days (shipping costs apply).

After 14 days, the book will be restocked and no refund or store credit will be issued.