The Book of Weeds

April 13, 2009
This fascinating, funny book is a prime example of what every dude knows: if something is written well enough, we'll read it even if we have no affinity or interest in the subject. Examples of this include articles on neurobiology and the federal prison system, book reviews even when we won't read the book, and editorials on the Yankees and Kobe Bryant. It's rare when a pithy writer can make something insipid (e.g., dog shows) come alive, which makes it a certainty that even nongardeners will like Weeds. Thompson asserts that these plants are more than just my life's tagline ("ugly and in the wrong place")-they can also be belligerent, bordering on thuggish. Quack grass, nipplewort, spurges-these aren't merely the crucial elements of the average poker player's vocabulary, but actual weed names as well. Thompson also identifies annual, perennial, and water weeds. As a bonus, material on getting rid of garden interlopers manually with flame weeders or weed hoes or with weed killer is wryly dramatic (Kill before they seed! Total eradication is your goal! Soylent Green is people!). Plus, I finally found out that chickweed is that freaking thing dominating my lawn. Sadly, though it's making me crazy, Thompson notes that there's not much remedy except to swallow my lawncare pride and eat it: chickweed is edible. Back to the cookbooks for next month, I guesss.-Douglas Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Middletown

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