The
Orchid Theif by Susan Orlean
Written
12/17/12015
I
first heard about The Orchid Theif by Susan Orlean when I was taking
a literary non-fiction class in college. We all were told to research
a literally non-fiction writer - or maybe read a non-fiction book. I
don't really remember. But, I do remember the young woman who had
read the book say something like "It's really well written. Its
funny - she talks about the weird obsessions of people and that gets
obsessed in the concept of the story herself."
And
I thought to myself, "...hmm...orchids are pretty. Weird people.
Obsession. Sounds like my kind of book. "
And
after having it in my sights to read for the last 2 years, I finally
read it. And I was right. It is my kind of book. And she was also
right, this book is less about orchids and thiefdom and more about
the purpose of being completely and utterly obsessed with something -
or more kindly put, "having a passion."
The
Orchid Thief is about John Laroche's obsession with - you guessed it -
orchids. Orlean first started following Laroche after she read a
short article stating that Laroche and three Seminole Native
Americans from Florida had been arrested for taking orchids and other
plants from a park - which is against the law if you didn't know.
BUT, because Native American's also have the right to take things
from the forests. So, there's the pickle that intrigued Orlean.
So,
she submerses herself in Laroche's flowery obsessions. She soaks in
to the orchid, fern, swamp, tree, and flower world and the maniacs
that surround it.
Turns
out though, orchids are actually really interesting. They aren't just
beautiful. They can actually be really ugly. But they have more to
them then just their appearance. They are extremely adaptable and
have flourished in their self-created little universes all over the
world. Orchids are also "tougher than you expect", said
Orlean, "they look as fragile as glass but aren't."
And
lastly, they can be found in Madagascar...where all amazing things
can be found...
ANYWAYS,
Laroche and the people in the orchid collector crowd are absolutely
"passionate" (cough cough...obsessed) about orchids and
plants. They create rare hybrids and spend thousands of dollars on
just one new plant. And in observing this wild obsession, and getting
a little pulled into the fanatics - Orlean realizes something,
"The
reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it
whittles the world down to a more manageable size. It makes the world
seem not huge and empty but full of possibility."
Isn't
that the truth. So now I am on the search for something to be
passionately obsessed with! Maybe its reading. Maybe its development
work. But I think finding a passion and following it really is a
beautiful part of growing up and becoming you you really are - at
whatever age that is.
As
John Laroche said, "Its not really about collecting the thing
itself. Its about getting immersed in something, and learning about
it, and having it become part of your life. Its a kind of direction."
Go
whoever is reading this...go find your direction, your obsession,
your passion!!
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