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Celebrate Earth with These Books
16
items All of these books look to honor the earth and encourage others to not take its wonders for granted. Many mix the personal with the environmental—we are indeed a part of the earth! Others take a more straightforward approach in advocating for steward...
Sections
5
Animals
Essay Collections
Memoir
Science
Tackling Climate Change
Animals
Read this if you want to recite fun facts about eels to your friends! Alternates between eel-centered chapters and memoir chapters. Originally published in Sweden.
The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious ...
Author Alagona follows the history of four endangered species in California—San Joaquin kit fox, desert tortoise, California condor, and delta smelt. The author also examines the politics of place in this 2013 book, published by the University of Cal...
After the Grizzly: Endangered Species and the Politics of Place in California
Essay Collections
These books combine personal reflections with broader depictions of the world around us.
An indigenous botanist shares how to become more conscious of the natural world around us.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the ...
Moore pays special attention to the sounds of the earth throughout her travels, allowing for beautiful, musically evocative prose. Author teaches at Oregon State in Corvallis and also spends a lot of time in Alaska.
Earth's Wild Music: Celebrating and Defending the Songs of the Natural ...
Conservationist and activist writes about her encounters with the natural world all over the globe, imbuing these essays with a sense of wonder as well as personal narrative. She shows how nature does not just have to mean completely “unspoiled” land...
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field
Memoir
Austrian painter writes about her experiences living on a small Arctic island, which she grew to love. First published in 1938.
A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter, Paperback
After trying to seek peace in the forest after living in the city and struggling with chronic illness, Martin encountered a nasty surprise: the devastating wildfires of Northern California.
The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History
One woman’s reckoning with the question of having kids while on a scientific expedition to warming Antarctica. She includes a lot of conversations she has with crew members and scientists aboard the ship.
The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth
The title basically says it all. In response to a tragic oil spill in the seventies, Francis protested Big Oil by not relying on it in any capacity. He also took a vow of silence while walking all over and obtaining multiple degrees.
Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence.
Poet/professor Dungy writes about nurturing a beautiful garden in majority-white Colorado. Her poetry is interspersed throughout the chapters. The book’s design is also really beautiful, including a color map of her garden, and I like the idea of mak...
Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille T. Dungy, Paperback
Nature writing originally written during WW2 but not published until 1977. Scottish writer Nan Shepherd describes her travels through the Cairngorm mountains.
The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd, Paperback
Science
Carson was revolutionary in believing that environmental and scientific works did not have to be dry and without a creative writing style. This cornerstone book, published in 1962, launched an environmental movement that led to the banning of DDT.
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, Paperback
A pioneer in plant communication, Simard details how trees are social and communicate all kinds of messages with one another.
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
Tackling Climate Change
Author drew upon many years of experience teaching college students about environmental studies to create an “existential toolkit” for facing climate change.
A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet
From the renowned geobiologist and author of the memoir ‘Lab Girl.’ Jahren examines our unsustainable consumption habits while also offering hope—thanks to developing technology—and relatability through her own personal voice.
The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here
A more academic book, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2016. Indian novelist Ghosh argues that the extremity of the effects of climate change doesn’t match up to modern thinking. Instead, he posits, we must utilize the powers of fictio...
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable