Science & Nature

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.

The Blank Slate

by Steven Pinker

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Psychology, Technology, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government

In the nonfiction book The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, a Harvard-educated experimental psychologist, draws from cutting-edge cognitive science to debunk popular ideas about the mind and human nature. Primarily, Pinker argues against the concept of the Blank Slate—that is, that the mind is a “blank slate”—showing instead that our brains come hardwired with universal attributes. He also discredits two related concepts, that of the Noble Savage (the idea that primitive humans were superior to and... Read The Blank Slate Summary

The Blazing World

by Margaret Cavendish

Publication year 1666

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Science & Technology, Perseverance, Femininity, Friendship, Nation, War, Fame, Order & Chaos, Equality

Tags Education, Education, British Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, European History, Military & War, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Age of Enlightenment, Restoration

... Read The Blazing World Summary

The Body: A Guide for Occupants

by Bill Bryson

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Science & Nature, World History, Humor, Health

Widely known for his best-selling books A Short History of Nearly Everything and A Walk in the Woods, author and educator Bill Bryson published another bestseller in 2019. The Body: a Guide for Occupants is a tour of human anatomy and its wonders. Compiled for the general reader, The Body is a compendium of facts, many amazing or weird, about human anatomy and physiology. It explores the various organ systems—skin, brain, eyes, nose, mouth and throat... Read The Body: A Guide for Occupants Summary

The Body Keeps the Score

by Bessel van der Kolk

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Childhood & Youth

Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement, Health

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is a 2014 nonfiction work by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. This guide refers to the 2015 edition published by Penguin Books. Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist specializing in various forms of trauma, has worked in trauma therapy for his entire professional career, publishing numerous scientific research studies of his own and contributing to many more. In addition to being a... Read The Body Keeps the Score Summary

The Botany Of Desire

by Michael Pollan

Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment

Tags Food, Science & Nature, World History, Arts & Culture

Michael Pollan’s 2001 nonfiction book, The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, asks the reader to stop considering only the human point of view of nature and to take the perspective of the plants themselves. He writes about how humans have affected the evolution of plants and in turn plants have affected our evolution as well. To Pollan, humans are much like the bumblebee in that we rely on plants as much... Read The Botany Of Desire Summary

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

by William Kamkwamba

Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Science & Nature, Education, Education, Biography

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba is a memoir about the author’s struggle to build a windmill in his village in Malawi. Beyond that, it’s a story about hope and determination. The book opens with a prologue that shows William turning his windmill on for the first time. With this success in mind, the reader is then thrust into a world of superstition and government corruption that creates obstacles to such innovation... Read The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind Summary

The Bronze Horseman

by Alexander Pushkin

Publication year 1841

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Nation, Order & Chaos

Tags Russian Literature, Classic Fiction, Narrative Poem, Historical Fiction, European History, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Romanticism, Realism

The Bronze Horseman: A Saint Petersburg Story is a narrative poem by 19th-century Russian poet, dramatist, and novelist Alexander Pushkin, who is considered Russia’s greatest poet. It was written in 1833, but was not published until 1841, after Pushkin’s death due to censorship of Pushkin’s works by the Russian government.Regarded as one of Pushkin’s most accomplished works, The Bronze Horseman has had a marked influence on Russian literature. The poem tells of the founding of Saint... Read The Bronze Horseman Summary

The Canyon's Edge

by Dusti Bowling

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery

Tags Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Grief & Death, Mental Illness, Parenting, Natural Disaster, Science & Nature, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature

... Read The Canyon's Edge Summary

The Circle

by Dave Eggers

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction

Published in 2013, The Circle by Dave Eggers is a dystopian novel set in the near future. It is told from the perspective of protagonist Mae Holland, who has landed a job at The Circle, a monopolistic tech company led by the Three Wise Men: Eamon Bailey, Ty Gospodinov, and Tom Stenton. The Circle has cultivated a positive image through its ostensible missions of improving human rights and democracy and by making it easier for... Read The Circle Summary

The Code Book

by Simon Singh

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Politics & Government, War, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Military & War, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Technology, Technology

... Read The Code Book Summary