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.

Beyond Freedom and Dignity

by B. F. Skinner

Publication year 1971

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Community, Science & Technology

Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Science & Nature, Education, Education, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) is a scientific philosophical text written by B. F. Skinner. Skinner (1904-1990) was a psychologist from the United States who is widely recognized for his contributions to behaviorism, the psychological theory that human behavior is determined or based on antecedent and external circumstances. Beyond Freedom and Dignity has been highly criticized for its repudiation of free will and its underlying Victorian ideals; however, this heavy criticism resulted in the popularization... Read Beyond Freedom and Dignity Summary

Beyond Order

by Jordan B. Peterson

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Marriage, Self Discovery, Art

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Leadership

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Biased

by Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhD

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Justice, Equality, Fear, Conflict, Community

Tags Psychology, Race & Racism, Sociology, Social Justice, Science & Nature, Psychology, Politics & Government

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Birches

by Robert Frost

Publication year 1915

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Memory, Appearance & Reality

Tags Lyric Poem, Science & Nature, American Literature, Modernism

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Blowout

by Rachel Maddow

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment

Tags Journalism, Russian Literature, Science & Nature, Business & Economics, World History, Politics & Government

Blowout, Rachel Maddow's second nonfiction book, was published in 2019 by Crown Publishing Group. In it, TV host and political commentator Maddow interconnects a series of global events, all woven together by one common thread: the oil and gas industry. Through the various vignettes, Maddow offers readers a book that is part rallying cry, part exposé, and part investigative journalism. Blowout sheds light on forgotten news stories; From the opening anecdote about a Russian gas... Read Blowout Summary

Bomb

by Steve Sheinkin

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Guilt

Tags World History, Military & War, Children`s Literature, World War II, Science & Nature

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Bonk

by Mary Roach

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, Love & Sexuality, Health, Psychology, Humor

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Born on a Blue Day

by Daniel Tammet

Publication year 2006

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Disability, Family, Friendship

Tags Disability, Psychology, LGBTQ+, Science & Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness, Biography

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant is Daniel Tammet’s memoir and his first published book. In it, he recalls his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood leading up to the point in his life when he became independent with a partner and a career. Born on a Blue Day was a New York Times best seller following its publication in 2006.Tammet is, as identified in the subtitle, an autistic savant... Read Born on a Blue Day Summary

Braiding Sweetgrass

by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment

Tags Science & Nature, World History, Religion & Spirituality

Written in 2013, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants is a nonfiction book by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The work examines modern botany and environmentalism through the lens of the traditions and cultures of the Indigenous peoples of North America. Through a series of personal reflections, the author explores the connection between living things and human efforts to cultivate a more sustainable... Read Braiding Sweetgrass Summary

Brain On Fire

by Susannah Cahalan

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Music

Tags Psychology, Mental Illness, Science & Nature, Psychology, Health, Biography

Brain on Fire (2012) is a memoir by New York Post writer Susannah Cahalan that details her struggle with a rare autoimmune disease, anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis. Cahalan recollects the journey through illness that took her from a normal, 24-year-old journalist to a misdiagnosed psychotic patient, and back again. In 2018, Netflix released a film based on Cahalan’s story, produced by Cahalan and Charlize Theron.Plot SummaryCahalan wakes in a hospital with no understanding of how she... Read Brain On Fire Summary

Breath

by James Nestor

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

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

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor, is a comprehensive treatise on breathing. It combines a journalistic approach with studies in anthropology, biochemistry, human physiology, psychology, and pulmonology to unpack the different techniques of inhaling and exhaling throughout human history and in different societies. With its first publication in 2020, Breath was a bestseller in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and Sunday London Times and will... Read Breath Summary