An engrossing and inspiring memoir by a dedicated climate change activist working hard to save the rainforests and the communities who depend on them. Perfect for fans of other activists like Greta Thunberg and Jane Goodall. This was great on audio and definitely a motiving read. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I read this book immediately after finishing Richard Powers' The Overstory, so my head was already in a certain place. I think I was initially a little challenged because I was conflicted by Dr. Kinari Webb's memoir vs. call to action that are the whole of the book.

Webb's life, in itself, is fascinating and an inspiration. Full of conflict, both personal and professional, I found at times, my emotions fighting with wanting to focus on her personal story, versus the bigger story of the earth.

Webb's message is clear: we can continue to destroy the earth and thus ourselves, or we can save the planet and life (somewhat) as we know it. There are still so many secrets this planet has for us to discover. Science only progresses so fast. We have to aggressively move forward to understand and protect what we have- faster than we take advantage of, and destroy our resources.

There is hope- but time is running out.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Guardians of the Trees filled the spaces that were left empty when I read The Overstory by Richard Powers earlier this year. I did not care for The Overstory, but Guardians of the Trees is exactly what I want when it comes to memoirs about conservation: heartfelt, personal, and comes with a strong message.

Sometimes I struggle with memoirs when they bounce back and forth in time, but Kinari Webb was fairly linear in her writing and especially engaging. Though it makes sense that healthcare and conservation are both important, Webb backs it up with the statistics through her work.

My biggest issue with the book was that it included a bigger religious aspect than I expected. I am not favorable to reading about religion or religious experiences, but, luckily, Webb did not lean too hard into this. For those who do enjoy reading about religious experiences, I do think they would enjoy learning about Webb's path to realization. It's just not for me.

I really appreciated that additional information was included in the afterword, both to explain that Webb left certain aspects of her story in the book to show path to continuous learning and where readers can learn more about her work.

Suehyla El-Attar is an excellent narrator and is quickly becoming one of my favorites (she also narrates P. Djèlí Clark's Dead Djinn Universe, which I highly recommend). She has an intimate quality to her voice that lends itself perfectly to this memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

A very interesting memoir about a life spent fighting for a cause. Though the author tends to be a little overly dramatic in her retelling of events, it's forgivable because it only illustrates just how passionate she is about her cause.

Dr. Kinari Webb tells a gripping story of her work in Indonesia as a medical doctor who is also trying to save the rainforest. This story was interesting and included so many eye-opening themes about deforestation and climate change but at times there were details about her life that didn't seem to propel the book forward. The audiobook was narrated very well and overall it was a good listen.

Global Healthcare, global environments, global governances, how they inevitability intertwined with sustainability of the future, mixed with the ability to continually take a step back, ask the right questions, (to the right audience), with a “best idea wins” mentality. “Guardians of the Trees; A Journey of Hope through Healing the Planet” is an awe-inspiring, admirable memoir, giving the reader / listener a glimpse into global, big-picture thinking.

I listened to the audio version of this memoir and was pleasantly surprised to find the author was the narrator! Dr. Webb was emotionally invested in the narration, which made the connection to her memoir that much stronger. Overall, this was an educational, well-written, well-narrated, inspirational memoir,. A great audiobook, no matter one’s perception or opinion is on any given topic.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Kinari Webb has had a fascinating life. Guardians of the Trees was an interesting listen on the environment and the modern healthcare system.

While I found most of the book incredibly interesting, I did find parts of it to be a tad long winded. I agreed a lot with what she had to say, and I admired Webb's tenacity.

The narration by Suehyla El-Attar was easy to listen to and well paced.

I received an eARC from MacMillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Webb’s memoir is both an exuberant story of a woman’s fight for the environment and humanity and a sobering look at the direct fallout of the failure of the healthcare system and greedy governments and corporations to care for all equally. On a trip to Borneo to study orangutans, Webb is horrified at the destruction of the rainforest that these magnificent creatures rely upon for survival. The indigenous people are destroying their own environment, in large part to pay for healthcare that is far out of their reach. This is when Web begins her crusade for affordable healthcare and the preservation of the rainforest. But then a life threatening accident grounds her on the sidelines for four years, giving her plenty of time to think, making her redefine her goals to concentrate on not just a problem in one corner of the world, but on a global level. While disheartening in places, this is, in the end, a story of hope