2023 must-read books, chosen by SEAS
Looking for a good read to close out 2023? Or a handful to add to your list for 2024? You’re in luck! Here’s a list of the books we’ve been reading this year at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). Most of them are about the natural world, but we’ve got a deep interest in a variety of topics around here, so we’re also including a section of books ranging from the story of the groundbreaking hip hop producer J Dilla to a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of personal, historical, and geographical discovery.
Non-fiction environmental books
“Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” By Robin Wall Kimmerer Recommended by Katie Trevathan | |
“Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” (Updated and Expanded) By Douglas Tallamy Recommended by Mike Kost | |
“Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts: 50 Easy-to-Grow Plants for the Organic Home Garden or Landscape” By Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano Recommended by Shannon Brines | |
“Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” By Ben Goldfarb Recommended by Mike Kost | |
“Eating to Extinction” Recommended by Michela Arnaboldi | |
“Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World” By Barry Lopez Recommended by Justin Schott | |
“A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety” Recommended by Michaela Zint | |
“Forgotten Fires: Native Americans and the Transient Wilderness” Recommended by Héctor Fox | |
“Green Wars: Conservation and Decolonization in the Maya Forest” Recommended by Héctor Fox | |
“A Sand County Almanac” Recommended by Joe Trumpey | |
Other books we're reading | |
“Angle of Repose” Recommended by Virginia Murphy | |
“Bewilderment” Recommended by Samuel Stolper | |
“The Capital Order” By Clara Mattei Recommended by Michelle Martinez | |
“The Covenant of Water” By Abraham Varghese Recommended by Arun Agrawal/Rebecca Hardin | |
“The Dawn of Detroit” Recommended by Joan Nassauer | |
“Demon Copperhead” By Barbara Kingsolver Recommended by Joan Nassauer | |
“Dilla Time” Recommended by Rebecca Hardin | |
“The Midnight Library” Recommended by Christine Lightner | |
“The Slow Violence of Immigration Court” Recommended by Héctor Fox | |
“Termination Shock” Recommended by Charlene Zietsma | |
“The Water Knife” Recommended by Charlene Zietsma |