There’s also something appealing in its message of the value and clarity that can come from just slogging through repetitive and unpleasant work. The book says a lot about doing things you might not think you can do, which is a valuable lesson to share. I’m not sure I’m reading it right, but it’s amazing to me that a body could go to such extremes in order to preserve itself. The thing that sticks out to me most is the seemingly miraculous incident of the author’s breaking her leg. But there is also apparently an amazing feeling of community, and a sense of freedom that one rarely finds in the Real World. Tree planting is a challenging, demanding, and sometimes grueling job. The picture the book paints of the tree planter’s life is pretty consistent with what my daughter already shared with me, but much more detailed. But now I can kind of see its appeal for young people, at least those willing to endure extreme conditions to make good money.

She’s got a distinctive voice and style, which is pretty impressive given that she’s so young and writing apparently isn’t even her main thing. (If you don’t know anything about Canadian tree planting, you can get an overview of the basics here.) Maybe I would have read it anyway, if I had known about it, because she was a tree planter two years ago, and will be one again this year, and I want to know more about that part of her life. I read Six Million Trees because my daughter recommended it.

Six Million Trees by Kristel Derkowski