Book Review: “Unrooted”

Erin Zimmerman’s “Unrooted: Botany, Motherhood, and the Fight to Save an Old Science” is a compelling memoir that intertwines her passion for plants with the challenges she faced as a woman in science. Dispersed through the book are botanical illustrations by Zimmerman, and quotes by other scientists begin each chapter. The book is one plant lover’s journey through academia, science, and motherhood but a reflection on so much more.

The importance of botany is now often overlooked even though it is key to helping us understand and fight climate change. In her writing, Zimmerman brings light to how botany as a science is going extinct, with many colleges dropping related degrees, even though it is a time when extinctions are gaining wider recognition in the world. Despite this trend, she looks to and champions the work and interest of citizen scientists. She cites how researchers were able to use personal diaries and chronicles reaching back to the ninth century to understand the flowering of cherry trees in Kyoto, Japan. For citizen scientist readers and those with an interest in botanical classification she includes interesting stories of how certain botanical classifications have come to be. In particular, she shares the story of resistance against the Nazis by the Dutch botanist Hendrik Uittien for whom the genus Uittienia was named in his honor.

As a scientist engaged with fieldwork, Zimmerman writes about how it is the foundation for research on biodiversity, species distribution patterns, extinctions, and invasive species. We travel with Zimmerman on a research trip to Guyana and get to experience the awe and hard work of collecting specimens in the wild. For those outside the academic and scientific world the book is enlightening in explaining the journey from doctorate to postdoc work and what a career in science could look like despite the sexism in the scientific community.

Throughout the book, Zimmerman candidly discusses the systemic obstacles she encountered, and the difficulties of balancing motherhood with a demanding academic career that champions moving locations and institutions for various research opportunities. Her experiences highlight the broader issue of how mothers in particular are often marginalized in scientific fields. Her personal experience is bolstered by facts and figures pulled from numerous research studies. In the end, “Unrooted” is much more than a memoir — it calls attention to reinvigorating a science that is both ancient and urgently relevant. Zimmerman’s personal story weaves broader ecological and cultural narratives, reminding us that botany is not just about plants but our connection to them as well. Her reflections illuminate how the marginalization of women and mothers in science mirrors the neglect of botany itself and questions how we could make space for both.

– Denise DeSpirito, Of the Spirits Herbals

This review was originally published in the summer 2025 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. Browse the archives for free content on organic agriculture and sustainable living practices.