Recommended Reading
1. Half-Earth by E.O. Wilson
"Half-Earth proposes an achievable plan to save our imperiled biosphere: devote half the surface of the Earth to nature. In order to stave off the mass extinction of species, including our own, we must move swiftly to preserve the biodiversity of our planet, says Edward O. Wilson in his most impassioned book to date." (From half-earthproject.org)
2. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
"For centuries, our understanding of animal intelligence has been obscured in just this kind of cloud of false assumptions and human egotism. De Waal, a primatologist and ethologist who has been examining the fuzzy boundary between our species and others for 30 years, painstakingly untangles the confusion, then walks us through research revealing what a wide range of animal species are actually capable of." (New York Times Review)
3. Spiritual Ecology, a Quiet Revolution by Dr. Leslie Sponsel
"Secular approaches to the environmental crisis have certainly made substantial inroads since the first Earth Day in 1970. Yet, the crisis not only persists, but is getting worse. Happily, there is an additional approach developing—spiritual ecology. Drawing on the wisdom of centuries and a wealth of different traditions, spiritual ecology can generate the profound transformations that are required if ecosanity is to be restored. " (Publisher description)
4. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
"As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on 'a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise' (Elizabeth Gilbert)." (From milkweed.org)
5. Next of Kin by Roger Fouts
"This remarkable book describes Fout's odyssey from novice researcher to celebrity scientist to impassioned crusader for the rights of animals. Living and conversing with these sensitive creatures has given him a profound appreciation of what they can teach us about ourselves." (Publisher description)
6. Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall
"In this marvelous book... Goodall reveals--with clarity, great passion and purpose--her inner journey. How invigorating it is to read the memoir of a scientist who proclaims frankly, and in language often infused with power and grace... This is a moving and inspiring book that will be treasured by all concerned about the fate of the planet and its inhabitants." (Publishers Weekly Review)
7. Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
"In Animal Liberation, author Peter Singer exposes the chilling realities of today's "factory farms" and product-testing procedures—destroying the spurious justifications behind them, and offering alternatives to what has become a profound environmental and social as well as moral issue. An important and persuasive appeal to conscience, fairness, decency, and justice, it is essential reading for the supporter and the skeptic alike." (Publisher description)
8. Reflections of Eden by Birute Galdikas
"In 1971, at age twenty-five, Galdikas left the placid world of American academia for the remote jungles of Indonesian Borneo. Living with her husband in a primitive camp, she became surrogate mother to a “family” of ex-captive orangutans... Her story is a rare combination of personal epiphany, crucial scientific discovery, and international impact – a life of human and environmental challenge. Reflections of Eden is the third act of a drama that has captivated the world: the story of a pioneering primatologist, a world leader in conservation, and a remarkable woman." (Publisher description)