The Overstory is a novel by Richard Powers published in 2018 by W.W. Norton. It is Powers's twelfth novel. The novel is about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests. Powers was inspired to write the work while teaching at Stanford University after he encountered giant redwood trees for the first time. On 20 September 2018, The Overstory was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize.On 15 April 2019, it was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.