Togetherness

An awe-inspiring and mind-altering exploration of how symbiosis can change the way we understand our world, ourselves and our future

From evolution to capitalism, 'survival of the fittest' has shaped our view of the world. It has brought us to the brink. And something needs to change.

For the history of life on Earth is much more than a story of competition. The natural world has been forged and sustained by small miracles of co-operation between animals and plants, insects and fungi, fish and bacteria – these partnerships are ubiquitous, lifelong and are an essential guide for the future of a world in crisis.

In Togetherness, Rowan Hooper reveals the intimate connectedness of nature through these remarkable stories of symbiosis. From the female wasp venturing deep inside a fig and the intricate relationship between corals and the algae that sustain them to the symbiotic gut microbes that influence our moods, he explores how co-operation is fundamental to life itself and to protecting our shared future.

Togetherness will change the way you see our place in the world, our place in it – and our obligation to its hidden wonders.