2012 Summer Reading List for Adults

The summer is a wonderful time to catch up on missed books, especially ones as influential as these. Head to your local library or pick them up at a bookstore — you will find yourself engaged with these stories and learning even more about our Earth and its precious resources.

Here are a few we recommend:

Animal Vegetable Miracle
Barbara Kingsolver, Harpers Collins 2008

In this compelling narrative, Barbara Kingsolver tells the story of how she and her family discovered the joys of local food, grown on their own farm. During the year, she discovered a deeper connection to the land, her family, and her community. This book is perfect for the beach or to read with your book club.

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America
Timothy Egan; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009

In this dramatic book, the incredible fight of a group of rangers against a powerful 1910 fire that struck Washington, Idaho and Montana, shares center stage with the story of Teddy Roosevelt and his chief forester Gifford Pinchot as they pioneered the notion of conservation. 

Earthrise: How Man First Saw The Earth
Robert K. Poole, Yale University Press 2010
 
Robert Poole recounts the story of the first images of Earth from space and considers their significance to how humankind thinks about the impact of its activities on the planet.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
Elizabeth Kolbert, Bloomsbury USA 2007

Originally written as a three-part series for The New Yorker, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert helps readers understand what is actually happening with regards to climate change and explores what might be done to save our planet.

Medieval Views of the Cosmos
E. Edson & E. Savage-Smith, University of Chicago Press 2004
 
This may be the most academic book on our list, but we think it’s worth your time. Through narration and beautiful illustrations, the authors look back at the worldviews of medieval society and discuss how the structure of the cosmos coincided with theological and practical assumptions of the time.

Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, Bloomsbury Press 2010

This book tells the story of how a small group of scientists led campaigns to mislead the public about well-established scientific knowledge. Spanning four decades, the authors show how the same individuals reappear to cast doubt upon good science and make claims like that lung cancer was not linked to smoking.

The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv, Algonquin Books 2011

Author Richard Louv uses research and stories to show how regularly interacting with the natural world has positive effects on us — from boosting creativity to building a more sustainable economy. This book will make you want to get outdoors more this summer.

The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States
Mark Fiege, University of Washington Press 2012
 
Fiege’s fresh new spin on important historical events of U.S. history places social and political factors on the background to highlight the environmental context. This thought-provoking book tells a different version of American history than the one we are used to, where nature plays a fundamental role in the events that shaped the nation.

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
Timothy Egan; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005

In this story of endurance and courage, Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist and author Timothy Egan follows six families and their communities through the most difficult years of the Depression and the dust storms that plagued the region.