How Like a Leaf

Donna J. Haraway is one of the most significant postmodern philosophers of science; essays such as "A Manifesto for Cyborgs"--as well as several books--have made her a star in academia and even a common reference point for many "cyberpunk" science fiction writers. In How Like a Leaf, a book-length interview with Thyrza Nichols Goodeve (one of her former graduate students in the History of Consciousness program at the University of California, Santa Cruz), Haraway opens up about her private life and the gradual development of her philosophy. While Goodeve does probe for details, her interview technique is completely sympathetic to her subject, lending an opportunity for Haraway to explain herself at leisure rather than under critical fire. Some readers are bound to find her too "out there" for their tastes, but for others, How Like a Leaf may serve as a prelude to further consideration of her more academic texts.