Summer Newsletter 2022 Science & Nature

Carlo Rovelli’s new essay collection is an absolute balm for the anxiety of recent years. Informative and hopeful, Rovelli takes the reader through history, literature, and science to show both the interconnectedness of these subjects and of us all. He has always had a gift for relating complex topics in simple prose, and he does the same here. This collection was a joy to read and I eagerly await what he publishes next.  —Brooks

This collection of interviews with Indigenous leaders, artists, and activists stands out among a wealth of climate change literature for its contributor selection, focus on historical context and current actions, and for the value it places on storytelling. It is immensely readable and grounded in the experiences of each subject, many of whom are local to the area, including editor Stan Rushworth. We have much to learn from the continued resilience of Turtle Island cultures and their relationships with the land—this collection is a worthy start.  —Melinda

Like a baroque palace where all the fire alarms are going off but the docents are pointing out the fire extinguishers rather than the exits, in Life on the Rocks Juli Berwald, author of Spineless, brings to the surface many reasons to hope—and work for—the survival of corals. From retired Special Forces divers to cloud brightening and coral cryogenics, Berwald finds a reef of possibilities for saving them long enough for us to get climate change under control. —Dave

A perfect book to start with for any aspiring armchair physicist, or a great review for those more versed in physics. Human nature is widely accepted as constantly seeking understanding, and physics is the ultimate scientific quest for understanding how the universe works. Celebrated scientist and writer Michio Kaku presents an eminently accessible history, detailing how different scientists have found and put together more and more pieces of the puzzle, helping us comprehend more about the universe and giving us a glimpse of what is to come next.  —Jocelyn 

This final collection of essays from the renowned author, environmentalist, and world traveler Barry Lopez cements his legacy as a truly great writer. Lopez’s beautiful woodland home, which he wrote about often and fondly, was badly burned in 2020, just months before Lopez himself succumbed to prostate cancer. From the ashes of the fire many precious items were saved, including five of the essays in this collection. Opening with a touching introduction from fellow essayist Rebecca Solnit, this collection, like much of Lopez’s work, is both autobiographical and far reaching, striving at once to convey an inner truth and a larger, global perspective.  —Jade

If you’re a fan of dogs, acclaimed open water swimmer Lynne Cox, and/or Running with Sherman, you will find joy in this book. Cox discovers dogs who jump from helicopters to do water rescues and soon we are at the Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio in Northern Italy. It would be enough to meet the exuberant Newfoundland Al, her canine classmates, and their passionate instructors, but Cox weaves in her own stories of being in the water, swimming with dogs, and enjoying travel and good food, making for a truly pleasurable read.  —Melinda 

Don’t miss our event with Lynne Cox on June 6th.

Nineteen acclaimed writers come together in this collection to give personal accounts of how climate change has come to impact their lives. Lydia Millet, Omar El Akkad, Gabrielle Bellot, Terese Svoboda, and many more offer memories and chronicles of life with climate change. The result is a deeply personal portrait of the impact that climate change has on every corner of Earth.  —Magnolia

For fans of Annie Dillard and Mary Oliver comes Kerri ní Dochartaigh’s Thin Places. The daughter of a Protestant and a Catholic, Dochartaigh grew up in Ireland during the Troubles and writes of finding solace and healing in the wild landscape and water. Empathetic and poetic in style and intimate in nature, her memoir is unique in its open-faced honesty. This book is definitely one to reflect on.  —Brooks