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Nature and Science August 2025 |
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The Social Genome: The New Science of Nature and Nurture by Dalton ConleyContains: a sweeping account of the sociogenomics revolution, which has, in the last decade, upended many of our notions about human development. Conley envisions a future where dating, education, public health, and other institutions have been radically altered by the sociogenomic revolution.
About the Author: Dalton Conley is a professor of sociology at Princeton University. In 2005, Conley became the first sociologist to win the prestigious National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, which honors an outstanding young U.S. scientist or engineer. He also writes for multiple magazines and has authored several books.
For readers of: "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee, "The Neuroscience of You" by Chantel Prat, and "Emotional" by Leonard Mlodinow.
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Tamed: From Wild to Domesticated, the Ten Animals and Plants That Changed Human Historyby Alice RobertsWhat's inside: Combining genetics, archaeology, evolutionary biology, and anthropology, "Tamed" tells the story of the greatest revolution in human history, revealing the fascinating origins of crucial domesticated species and how they, in turn, transformed us.
Line from the book: "The domestication of dogs may have started 40,000 years before the present, and interbreeding with wolves continued long after that, and can still happen today" - Alice Roberts
Further reading: Brian Fagan's "The Intimate Bond," Pat Shipman's "The Invaders" and Simon Barnes' "A History of the World in 100 Animals."
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| More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity by Adam BeckerWhat it is: Tech billionaires have decided that they should determine our futures for us. In "More Everything Forever," science journalist Adam Becker investigates these wildly implausible and often profoundly immoral visions of tomorrow—and shows why, in reality, there is no good evidence that they will, or should, come to pass.
What reviews say: "An urgent call to deflate the world-shaping power of tech billionaires....Becker articulates a timely and informed wake-up call....His vehement critique is fundamental to diminishing their power."
- Science (Journal)
Try this next: "Technofeudalism" by Yanis Varoufakis, "Supremacy" by Parmy Olson, and "Code Dependent" by Murgia Madhumita. |
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A Year With the Seals: Unlocking the Secrets of the Sea's Most Charismatic and Controversial Creaturesby Alexandra MorrisWhat it's about: Environmental journalist Alix Morris spends an eye-opening year getting to know these elusive, intelligent creatures, investigating the effects of their extraordinary return from the brink of extinction and how we can try to bring nature back into balance.
Did you know?: The reason seals and dogs resemble each other is because they both evolved from a common ancestor. Both are part of the scientific order Carnivora, which means seals are water dogs.
Similar reads: Brandon Keim's "Meet the Neighbors," Elias Friedman's "This Dog Will Change Your Life" and Miriam Darlington's "Otter Country."
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| Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum by Daniel TammetWhat it is: "Nine Minds" delves into the extraordinary lives of nine neurodivergent men and women from around the globe. From a Fields Medal-winning mathematician to a murder detective, a pioneering surgeon to a bestselling novelist, each is remarkable in their field, and each is changing how the world sees those on the spectrum.
You'll learn: About the diversity of the autism spectrum and experience of the people living in a world that isn't designed for them.
For fans of: "We’re Not Broken" by Eric Garcia, "A Little Less Broken" by Marian Schembari, and "Autism in Heels" by Jennifer Cook. |
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Focus on: Human Experience with Nature
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Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beastsby J. Drew LanhamContains: “You are a rare bird, easy to see but invisible just the same.” That thought is close at hand in "Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts," as renowned naturalist and writer J. Drew Lanham explores his obsession with birds and all things wild in a mixture of poetry and prose.
Why you might like it: Lanham paints a unique portrait of the natural world: listening to cicadas, tracking sandpipers, towhees, wrens, and cataloging fellow birdwatchers at a conference where he is one of two Black birders.
You may also like: Ellen Bryant Voigt's "Collected Poems," J. Drew Lanham's "Joy Is the Justice We Give Ourselves" and Katie Holten's "The Language of Trees."
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Transient and Strange: Notes On the Science of Life by Nell GreenfieldboyceWhat's inside: Greenfieldboyce grapples with the weighty dualities of life: birth and death, constancy and impermanence, memory and doubt, love and aging. Inspired throughout by Walt Whitman’s invocation to the “transient and strange,” she remains attuned to the wildest workings of our world, reflecting on the incredible leap of the humble flea or the echoing truth of a fetal heartbeat.
About the author: Nell Greenfieldboyce is an NPR science correspondent with a Masters of Arts degree in science writing. Prior to NPR, Greenfieldboyce spent a decade working in print, mostly magazines including U.S. News & World Report and New Scientist.
You may also like: "How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures" by Sabrina Imbler; "The Book of (More) Delights" by Ross Gay; and "Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren.
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The Hurting Kindby Ada LimónWhat it's about: With Limón’s remarkable ability to trace thought, "The Hurting Kind" explores those questions—incorporating others’ stories and ways of knowing, making surprising turns, and always reaching a place of startling insight. These poems slip through the seasons, teeming with horses and kingfishers and the gleaming eyes of fish.
What reviews say: "Limón is acutely aware of the natural world in "The Hurting Kind". And she has a knack for acknowledging its little mysteries in order to fully capture its history and abundance." - Jeevika Verma of NPR
Try these next: "The Carrying" by Ada Limón, "A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia" edited by Rose McLarney and Laura-Gray Street and "You Are Here" edited by Ada Limón.
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Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging by Tara RobertsWhat's inside: This searing memoir by a National Geographic explorer recounts one woman's epic journey to trace the global slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean—and find her place in the world.
Line from the book: "I float face up in the calm water of a tucked-away beach in Kalpitiya. It's two o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun feels hot but delicious on my face and my toes, which are painted bright orange and peeking out of the water." - Tara Roberts
Similar reads: Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat Pray Love," Cheryl Strayed's "Wild" and Jesmyn Ward's "Men We Reaped."
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Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American Westby Kelly RamseyWhat it is: In vivid prose that evokes the majesty of Northern California’s forests, Kelly takes us on the ground to see how major wildfires are fought and to lay bare the psychological toll, the bone-deep weariness, and the unbreakable camaraderie that emerge in the face of nature’s fury.
Read it because: In this vivid, visceral, and intimate memoir, Kelly wrestles with the immense power of fire for both destruction and renewal, confronted with the questions: Which fires do you fight, and which do you let burn you clean?
Try these next: "Fearless and Free" by Josephine Baker, "Joy Goddess" by A'Lelia Bundle and "The Harder I Fight the More I Love You" by Neko Case.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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