Are you an SEJ member who's authored, co-authored or edited a non-fiction or fiction environmental book (published in 2022) you'd like included on this page? Documentaries are also welcome. Please send the following to web content manager Cindy MacDonald:

1. a one-paragraph description
2. name of publisher and year of publication
3. ISBN number
4. .gif or .jpg image of the book cover (optional)
5. Internet link to more information (optional)

Find links to members' books published in other years here.

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Non-Fiction

 

"Beyond Climate Breakdown: Envisioning New Stories of Radical Hope"

By Peter Friederici

Peter Friederici, professor in the School of Communication at Northern Arizona University, is author of the new book "Beyond Climate Breakdown: Envisioning New Stories of Radical Hope". Listed as one of Orion Magazine's 10 Books for Fall 2022, the book examines and critiques prevailing climate change narratives. By dissecting how such stories are constructed, the author argues, we can better understand who benefits — and who doesn't — from their dissemination. This analysis points to a need for new sorts of story frames that are based on both democratic values and a fundamental affinity for life. Only these sorts of stories can fuel the broad-based hope and agency that's needed to engage people to action. MIT Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780262543934. More information.

 

 

"Buildings That Breathe: Greening the World's Cities"

By Nancy F. Castaldo

Imagine living inside a “tree scraper”. It sounds like something from the fictional city of Wakanda, but it is real. In an effort to stem climate change, reduce pollution, combat heat and protect biodiversity, architects are teaming up with botanists, urban wildlife ecologists and other scientists to design high-rises forests, living walls and vertical farms in some of the world’s most populated cities. These urban greening projects provide city residents with a healthier place to live and work. Young adult readers explore projects with Nancy Castaldo all around the world that are changing our urban landscapes and helping keep our planet healthy. A Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Twenty First Century Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781728419466. More information.

 

 

"Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure"

By Bryn Nelson

The future is sh*t: the literal kind. For most of human history we've been, well, disinclined to take a closer look at our body's natural product — the complex antihero of this story — save for gleaning some prophecy of our own health. But if we were to take more than a passing look at our poop, we would spy a veritable cornucopia of possibilities. We would see potent medicine, sustainable power and natural fertilizer to restore the world's depleted lands. We would spy a time capsule of evidence for understanding past lives and murderous ends. We would glimpse effective ways of measuring and improving human health from the cradle to the grave, early warnings of community outbreaks like COVID-19 and new means of identifying environmental harm — and then reversing it. "Flush" is both an urgent exploration of the world's single most squandered natural resource, and a cri de coeur (or cri de colon?) for the vast, hidden value in our "waste." Award-winning journalist and microbiologist Bryn Nelson, PhD, leads readers through the colon and beyond with infectious enthusiasm, helping to usher in a necessary mental shift that could restore our balance with the rest of the planet and save us from ourselves. Grand Central Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 978-1538720028. More information.

 

 

"In the Spirit of Wetlands: Reviving Habitat in the Illinois River Watershed"

By Clare Howard

The author and photographer visited dozens of wetlands over several years, interviewed landowners, scientists, environmentalists and farmers about the role wetlands play in a healthy environment and what happens following widespread destruction of wetlands. People who believe in wetlands work not just for their own environment but for the global ecosystem. They continue to discover and learn about the complex role wetlands play in the environment. The people featured in this book are remarkable because they devote their time, energy and money to restoring lost wetlands, often in the face of harsh criticism from people who do not share their vision. The persistence of these wetland pioneers is inspiring. They lead by example, and their stories help change the way we see the world. University of Illinois Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780252086625 (paperback); 9780252053559 (ebook). More information.

 

 

"Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History"

By Jori Lewis

Americans consume over 1.5 billion pounds of peanut products every year. But few of us know the peanut's tumultuous history, or its intimate connection to slavery and freedom. Lyrical and powerful, "Slaves for Peanuts" deftly weaves together the natural and human history of a crop that transformed the lives of millions. Author Jori Lewis reveals how demand for peanut oil in Europe ensured that slavery in Africa would persist well into the twentieth century, long after the European powers had officially banned it in the territories they controlled. Delving deep into West African and European archives, Lewis recreates a world on the coast of Africa that is breathtakingly real and unlike anything modern readers have experienced. "Slaves for Peanuts" is told through the eyes of a set of richly detailed characters — from an African-born French missionary harboring runaway slaves, to the leader of a Wolof state navigating the politics of French imperialism — who challenge our most basic assumptions of the motives and people who supported human bondage. At a time when Americans are grappling with the enduring consequences of slavery, here is a new and revealing chapter in its global history. The New Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-1-62097-156-7. More information.

 

 

"When the World Runs Dry: Earth's Water in Crisis"

By Nancy F. Castaldo

Water is essential for life on this planet, but not every community has the safe, clean water it needs. In "When the World Runs Dry," award-winning science writer Nancy Castaldo takes young adult readers from Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, to Iran and Cape Town, South Africa, to explore the various ways in which water around the world is in danger, why we must act now and why you’re never too young to make a difference. A Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and 2023 Skipping Stones Book Award recipient. Algonquin Young Readers, 2022. ISBN: 9781616209711. More information.

 

 

"The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale: Restoring An Island Ecosystem"

By Nancy F. Castaldo

In this exhilarating installment of the award-winning Scientists in the Field series, journey to the isolated islands of Isle Royale National Park where the longest predator/prey study in the world is being conducted along with a controversial genetic rescue to save not only the wolves and moose, but the entire island ecosystem. Join celebrated author Nancy Castaldo and photographer Morgan Heim in this exciting journey to Isle Royale to document the genetic rescue experiment scientists there are embarking on. If they can successfully relocate twenty to thirty wolves from the mainland to Isle Royale, scientists can potentially restore the balance among wolves, moose and trees of the island’s ecosystem. Now the living laboratory experiment begins. A Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Clarion Books, 2022. ISBN: 9780358274230. More information.