The enchanting biography of an ancient oak tree

Step into over two centuries of history with Being An Oak, a remarkable biography of a tree that has stood tall through revolutions, wars, and a changing climate. Germinating in 1780, this majestic oak, affectionately named Quercus, has lived a life filled with hidden struggles and quiet triumphs, long before a young man named Laurent Tillon discovered it and began a decades-long friendship.

Blending nature writing, ecology, and memoir, Tillon reveals the oak’s story as part of a vast living network: alliances between plants and animals, conflicts between insects, birds and fungi, and the subtle interdependence that sustains life in the forest.

With poetic prose and deep ecological insight, this extraordinary book invites readers to see the natural world from the perspective of a tree. Both intimate and expansive, it is a celebration of biodiversity and the hidden dramas that shape our planet.

Perfect for readers of environmental books about trees, ecology books for nature lovers, and fans of lyrical nature writing like Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees, Being An Oak offers a profound, tree-eyed view of life on Earth.