Rare Books: Summer 2020
Our Summer 2020 Rare Books list includes selections that tackle difficult topics like our own individual and institutional contributions to racial injustice that may be uncomfortable to read but are important to confront. These books were recommended by members of our team, as well as outside voices, to broaden our perspective on issues of race, as well as ways to spark behavioral change to help people and the planet.
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry
By Camille T. Dungy
Why we’re reading it this summer: With 180 poems from 93 African American poets, this anthology offers perspectives from slavery all the way through the early 21st century. This was recommended by Leah Thomas, an environmentalist and activist, in a recent column for Vogue entitled, “Why Every Environmentalist Should Be Anti-Racist.”
Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors
By Carolyn Finney
Why we’re reading it this summer: This book examines why African Americans lack representation in traditional environmental culture and ways some people are working to change that. Thanks to our good friend (and BE.Hive on Campus speaker), Wawa Gatheru, for the recommendation.
We Are the Weather
By Jonathan Safran Foer
Why we’re reading it this summer: Even among those of us who know that human behavior is the main driver of climate change, many of us still fail to change behaviors that contribute to the problem. But to save the planet, we’ll have to — and it starts with what we eat for breakfast.
Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work
By Robert Frank
Why we’re reading it this summer: Psychology and behavioral research tell us that our behavior is shaped significantly by those around us. Knowing that, we can design more effective approaches to help people adopt sustainable, climate-friendly behaviors. Frank also participated in our 2019 BE.Hive: Climate Change Needs Behavior Change summit on behavioral approaches to curbing climate change.
Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
By Dan Heath
Why we’re reading it this summer: To help prevent problems before they happen, Dan Heath spoke to a litany of problem solvers to understand how human hard-wiring contributes to problems. Per usual, Heath offers inspiring real-world examples of how innovative thinking and small shifts prevented big problems later on.
Trace
By Lauret Savoy
Why we’re reading it this summer:
“What excites me about Trace is that it uses landscapes as a way to tell the past and present stories of people, rather than the other way around. It’s compelling to me that Trace seeks to use physical landscapes as a map for how race and history are firmly etched into the places we think we know and what that tells us about ourselves. — Katie Williamson, Center for Behavior & the Environment, Rare
The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection
By Dorceta Taylor
Why we’re reading it this summer: The American conservation movement saw the establishment of national parks, the protection of wildlife and the preservation of forests. However, the movement also discriminated against lower-class communities, women, native people and people of color. In this pivotal moment, all of us — and the environmental and conservation movements in particular — need to reckon with our past to create a more equitable, inclusive future.
