Book recommendations

For more than twenty years, Naomi Klein has been the foremost chronicler of the economic war waged on both people and planet -- and an unapologetic champion of a sweeping environmental agenda with justice at its center. "On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal" gathers for the first time more than a decade of her impassioned writing, and pairs it with new material on the staggeringly high stakes of our immediate political and economic choices.

This book provides a unique, clear, accurate, and easily accessible perspective of climate science and the risks of global inaction. The narrative lyrically explores the history of how scientists progressed to our current understanding of the Earth's climate and its future. Replete with informative illustrations, this engaging book will allow readers to assess which climate predictions are firmest and which are more speculative.

In "Snow", Giles Whittell digs into the mysteries of snowflake formation, why avalanches happen, the record-setting snowfalls of the past, and the future of snow on a warming planet. Through yetis, skiathlons, polar bear evolution, igloos, the Winter Olympics, blizzards, and more, "Snow" celebrates the wonders we can find by gazing up into the sky.

In "Heatstroke," the renowned paleoecologist Anthony Barnosky shows how global warming is fundamentally changing the natural world and its creatures. Plants and animals that have followed the same rhythms for millennia are suddenly being confronted with a world they're unprepared for -- and the shock could kill them. This is not the first time climate change has dramatically transformed Earth.

How well do we really know dogs? People may enjoy thinking about them as "man's best friend," but what actually drives the things they do? What is going on in their fur-covered heads as they look at us with their big, expressive eyes? Raymond Coppinger and Mark Feinstein know something about these questions, and with "How Dogs Work", they're ready to share; this is their guide to understanding your dog and its behavior.

Cats are incredible creatures: they can eat practically anything and live almost anywhere, ruling bedrooms and deserted Antarctic islands alike. But cats do humans very few favors -- especially compared with dogs. So why do we feed and caress them and obsess over them online? How did these tiny felines become global overlords?

"The Mosquito" is the extraordinary untold saga of the mosquito's reign throughout human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order.

Paige Embry's fascination with native bees led her deep into the world of these essential pollinators, where she discovered the direct impact of their health on ours. Her compelling findings form the heart of "Our Native Bees", in which Embry argues that while non-native honey bees are often in the spotlight, it is North America's native bees who do much of the pollinating that helps bring food to our tables.

In "The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights," you'll learn hundreds of simple ways to stop thoughtless cruelty. The tips and resources Ingrid Newkirk provides will connect you to a whole community of others who respect animals enough to make kind choices. For each topic, Newkirk provides hard facts, personal insight, inspiration, ideas, and resources.

Whether you're new to gardening or an experienced gardener looking for a more natural way to grow your favorite vegetables, flowers, and herbs, here you'll find everything you need to plant, tend, and harvest a beautiful, bountiful garden using organic methods. With the garden-tested advice in "Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening", learn how to choose a garden site, what tool you'll need, how to build great soil and use compost, which plants are easiest to grow, and how to care for your garden all season long.

Do baboons have a keen sense of right and wrong? Do chickens find certain human faces attractive in the same way people do? Do cats and dogs get their feelings hurt? In "Second Nature," animal behaviorist Jonathan Balcombe makes the case that animals, once viewed as mindless automatons, actually have rich sensory experiences and emotional complexity.