Peter Wohlleben opens up an exciting world for us: the understanding of organisms that are not visible to the naked eye, but that guide the fate of humanity. They are not only practical everyday helpers - without bacteria no yoghurt, no salami and no sauerkraut - and live on the skin, tongue or intestines, but in each of our body cells, where they control us according to their needs. The author shows that we are made of bacteria and how strongly they shape us, for example by producing hormones that influence our moods. He explains how they motivate us to exercise, help shape our weather and help us cope with the climate crisis. And that we should cooperate with them and be considerate of them so that they and we are well. Peter Wohlleben has revolutionized our knowledge of trees. He now leads us just as vividly through the surprising kingdom of bacteria. An ideal book for all those who are interested in everyday knowledge and want to understand biological processes. Because we encounter bacteria everywhere, around the clock. If you know that they are smart, communicate and plan joint actions, but are so small that we can't see them, then this book is not just like a microscope, but like a door to their realm. Peter Wohlleben, author of the million-selling book 'The Secret Life of Trees', guides us through this surprising world in a well-founded and playfully light way. Biography Peter Wohlleben, born in 1964, studied at the University of Applied Sciences for Forestry in Rottenburg am Neckar and worked for 23 years in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Forestry Administration. In 2006, he gave up his job and took over a 1200-hectare forest area in the Eifel as a forester. There he successfully implements his ideas of ecologically and economically justifiable nature conservation. Along the way, he discovered his desire to write.