The Overstory

The Overstory
	First edition cover
Author	Richard Powers
Cover artist	Albert Bierstadt (art); Evan Gaffney (design)
Language	English
Genre	Environmental fiction
Publisher	W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date	April 3, 2018
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	612
Awards	Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2019)
ISBN	978-0-393-63552-2 (hardcover)
OCLC	988292556
Dewey Decimal	813/.54
LC Class	PS3566.O92 O94 2018

The Overstory is a novel by Richard Powers published in 2018 by W. W. Norton & Company. It is Powers' twelfth novel. The book is about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests. Powers was inspired to write the work while teaching at Stanford University, after he encountered giant redwood trees for the first time.^[1]

The Overstory was a contender for multiple awards. It was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize on September 20, 2018^[2] and won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction on April 15, 2019,^[3] as well as the William Dean Howells Medal in 2020. Reviews of the novel have been mostly positive, with praise of the structure, writing, and compelling reading experience.^[4]

Patricia Westerford, one of the novel's central characters, was heavily inspired by the life and work of forest ecologist Suzanne Simard.^[5]^[6]^[7] Westerford pens a popular science book, The Secret Forest, whose title alludes to real-world books such as The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by German forester Peter Wohlleben, The Secret Life of Trees by British science writer Colin Tudge, and Finding the Mother Tree by Simard herself.^[8]

^ John, Emma (June 16, 2018). "Richard Powers: 'We're completely alienated from everything else alive'". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
^ Jordan, Justine (July 23, 2018). "New voices, but less global: the Man Booker longlist overturns expectations". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
^ Smith, Rosa Inocencio (April 16, 2019). "Writing the Pulitzer-Winning 'The Overstory' Changed Richard Powers's Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
^ "The Overstory". Book Marks. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
^ Jabr, Ferris (December 2, 2020). "The Social Life of Forests". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^ Fabiani, Louise (2018). "It's Not the Trees That Need Saving: The Overstory (Review)". Earth Island Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^ Emily, Chan (May 1, 2021). "Do Trees Hold the Answer to Real Happiness?". Vogue. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
^ "Animism, Tree-consciousness, and the Religion of Life: Reflections on Richard Powers' The Overstory". Center for Humans & Nature. February 26, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2021.

[1] John, Emma (June 16, 2018). "Richard Powers: 'We're completely alienated from everything else alive'". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.

[bookershort-2] Jordan, Justine (July 23, 2018). "New voices, but less global: the Man Booker longlist overturns expectations". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.

[3] Smith, Rosa Inocencio (April 16, 2019). "Writing the Pulitzer-Winning 'The Overstory' Changed Richard Powers's Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 5, 2020.

[4] "The Overstory". Book Marks. Retrieved August 13, 2021.

[5] Jabr, Ferris (December 2, 2020). "The Social Life of Forests". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2021.

[6] Fabiani, Louise (2018). "It's Not the Trees That Need Saving: The Overstory (Review)". Earth Island Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2021.

[7] Emily, Chan (May 1, 2021). "Do Trees Hold the Answer to Real Happiness?". Vogue. Retrieved June 21, 2021.

[8] "Animism, Tree-consciousness, and the Religion of Life: Reflections on Richard Powers' The Overstory". Center for Humans & Nature. February 26, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]