Texts in this collection explore topics like climate change, energy, and humanity's place in the environment through a variety of genres, whether the science fiction of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake or the scientific journalism of Dan Egan's The Death and Life of the Great Lakes.
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Politics / Government, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Health / Medicine
Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic (Bloomsburg Press, 2015) is a nonfiction book by American journalist and writer Sam Quinones. It won the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and was on Amazon’s list of best books of the year in 2015 as well as Slate’s list of the 50 best books of the past 25 years. In the book Quinones charts the parallel rise of prescription opiates and black tar heroin, and describes... Read Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic Summary
Publication year 1962
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Place
Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature, American Literature
Publication year 1994
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1923
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants
Tags Lyric Poem, Science / Nature
Publication year 2009
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment
Tags Food, Philosophy, Animals, Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Philosophy
Eating Animals is a nonfiction book written by Jonathan Safran Foer and published originally in 2009. Foer is an accomplished novelist, and Eating Animals is his first foray into long-form nonfiction writing. The book fits into a genre of criticism of the food industry, specifically factory farming and animal welfare. Eating Animals is a New York Times bestseller, though it met with mixed reviews regarding both the content and style of Foer’s writing. In 2018... Read Eating Animals Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Food
Tags Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Self Help
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery
Tags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Poverty, Animals, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Science / Nature, Great Depression, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, History: World
Publication year 1986
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Colonialism, Natural World: Environment
Tags History: European, Science / Nature, Anthropology, Animals, Agriculture, History: World, Anthropology
Publication year 1999
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment
Tags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Southern Literature, History: World, Biography
In the memoir, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Janisse Ray describes growing up amidst her family’s junkyard in rural south Georgia. She structures the book in a series of short chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of her family life. Between these chapters, Ray also writes descriptions of the longleaf pine forests–an ecosystem that once covered the south Georgia landscape and has been largely destroyed by logging. Ray is born in Baxley... Read Ecology of a Cracker Childhood Summary
Publication year 1975
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Environment
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Fantasy, Politics / Government
Ecotopia is a novel set in an alternative historical timeline, one in which Washington, Oregon, and Northern California have seceded from the United States to form a new country: Ecotopia. After independence, the two countries have severed all diplomatic relations and have existed side-by-side with virtually no communication, though there is plenty of mutual distrust, even after twenty years. Enter the novel’s protagonist, William Weston, “top international affairs reporter” for the Times-Post newspaper, who has... Read Ecotopia Summary
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Philosophy, Science / Nature
Einstein’s Dreams (1993) by Alan Lightman is a best-selling novel that explores the intersection of art and science, and the nature of time. The novel imagines the dreams of a fictionalized version of Albert Einstein to explain various theories about time, leading up to Einstein’s 1905 theory of special relativity, which he formed while working as a patent clerk and starting a family in Berne, Switzerland.Each chapter of the novel features a dream that exemplifies... Read Einstein's Dreams Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Leadership/Organization/Management, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2015
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Biography
Publication year 1995
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Education
Tags Self Help, Psychology, Leadership/Organization/Management, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Relationships, Psychology
In Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goleman discusses how The Components of Emotional Intelligence, like self-awareness, empathy, and social skills, shape an individual’s life. He explores key themes, such as The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Personal and Professional Success, The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Traditional IQ, and Emotional Intelligence Affecting Mental Health and Interpersonal Relationships. This guide refers to the 1995 Bantam Books hardcover edition. Content Warning: The... Read Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Class, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Health / Medicine, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Addiction / Substance Abuse, Business / Economics, Crime / Legal, Finance / Money / Wealth, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, History: World, Biography
Publication year 1971
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Science / Nature, History: World, Biography
Publication year 1959
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Tags Action / Adventure, History: World, Science / Nature, Travel Literature, Biography
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage is a 1959 work of historical nonfiction by journalist and writer Alfred Lansing. The book describes explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 overland expedition across Antarctica; the mission failed when his ship, the Endurance, became trapped in ice, but Shackleton and all of his crew were able to survive and escape against long odds. Lansing researched the book extensively, drawing on diaries kept by crewmembers as well as interviews with survivors. The work... Read Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community
Tags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Climate, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science / Nature, Creative Nonfiction, Climate Change, Agriculture, History: World
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family
Tags Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Health / Medicine, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World
... Read Eve Summary