Science
The center of the author's autobiography is her calling, science and precisely biology. She talks about her journey, from being a little girl following her father into his lab, to accomplishing her dream of becoming a renowned biologist with her own laboratory. She comments on the sexism present in science and her battle with being a female scientist. The autobiography is written together with her scientific commentary on her research as well as textbook definitions of trees, plants, and biology in general.
Friendship
Friendship plays a large theme in the autobiography. Bill is Hope's science partner and her best friend. He is a huge part of the work and Jahren recalls their meeting, describes their growing partnership as well as blooming friendship. She describes their relationship as inseparable twins, as a family bond that can never be broken.
Love
Motherly affection and love was something Hope never received from her mother and what pawed the way to her insecurities and her keenness in seeing a mother in any female person who treats her with kindness. She relates this coldness that she received from her mother to her Scandinavian nature and it after becoming pregnant awakens her fear of being the same towards her child. Nevertheless, after giving birth to her son, she tries to give him all the love she didn't receive, and decides to love her future granddaughter in advance, because she wants to break the circle of coldness and lack of love towards daughters inherent in her family.
