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Nature and Science February 2026* |
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When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America's Black Botanical Legacy
by Beronda L. Montgomery
This stunning cultural and personal reclamation of Black history and Black botanical mastery offers up lessons from the natural world shared through the stories of long-lived trees. The histories of trees in America are also the histories of Black Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement; poplar trees are historically associated with lynching; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees, and others, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrative but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that, like Native American traditions, predates the United States entirely. In When Trees Testify, award-winning plant biologist Beronda L. Montgomery explores the ways seven trees--as well as the cotton shrub--are intertwined with Black history and culture. She reveals how knowledge surrounding these trees has shaped America since the very beginning. As Montgomery shows, trees are material witnesses to the lives of enslaved Africans and their descendants. Combining the wisdom of science and history with stories from her own path to botany, Montgomery talks to majestic trees, and in this unique and compelling narrative, they answer.
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99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them
by Ashely Alker
An illuminating, hilarious, and practical guide to 99 of the most terrifying ways to die and how to avoid them from an emergency medicine doctor.Dr. Ashely Alker is a self-described death escapologist--or, in more familiar terms, an emergency medicine doctor. She has seen it all, from flesh-eating bacteria to the work of a serial killer to the more mundane but no less deadly, and her work outwitting the end has uniquely prepared her to write this book. Dr. Alker manages to shock readers while making them laugh, educating them on how to outsmart a wide range of deadly situations and conditions. Many of the chapters include stories from her experiences in life and medicine, at times heartwarming, others heartbreaking. Sections include explorations of sex, poison, drugs, biological warfare, disease, animals, crime, the elements, and much more. An Anthony Bourdain-style greatest hits tour of death, 99 Ways to Die is entertaining while it informs. Full of valuable advice and wild stories, this riveting read might just save your life.
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| Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life by Tara LohanEnvironmental journalist Tara Lohan uplifts in her report on United States waterways and the growing movement to remove dams blocking their courses. Incorporating the perspective of Indigenous tribespeople whom she met while chronicling the health of rivers in the Pacific Northwest, Lohan clearly explains the benefits, both environmental and communal, of undamming our rivers in her hopeful, inspiring book. Read-alike: Everything Is Water: A River-Walking Journey by Simon Cleary. |
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The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy
by Susan Wise Bauer
Allows readers to practically experience firsthand how humans have adapted to and dealt with disease throughout history...necessary and timely...engaging and entertaining. Highly recommended.Library Journal, starred A] splendid examination...Deeply insightful if unsettling.Kirkus Anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-reason beliefs seem to be triumphing over common sense today. How did we get here? The Great Shadow brings a huge missing piece to this puzzle--the experience of actually being ill. What did it feel like to be a woman or man struggling with illness in ancient times, in the Middle Ages, in the seventeenth century, or in 1920? And how did that shape our thoughts and convictions? The Great Shadow uses extensive historical research and first-person accounts to tell a vivid story about sickness and our responses to it, from very ancient times until the last decade. In the process of writing, historian Susan Wise Bauer reveals just how many of our current fads and causes are rooted in the moment-by-moment experience of sickness--from the search for a balanced lifestyle to plug-in air fresheners and bare hardwood floors. We can't simply shout facts at people who refuse vaccinations, believe that immigrants carry diseases, or insist that God will look out for them during a pandemic. We have to enter with imagination, historical perspective, and empathy into their world. The Great Shadow does just that with page-turning flair.
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| The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind by Simon WinchesterAuthor and journalist Simon Winchester presents a celebration of wind. Drawing fascinating references from science, engineering, and literature, Winchester is clearly enraptured by this natural force, evidenced by his vivid depictions of its role in civilization’s destruction (typhoons, tornadoes, wildfires) and salvation (wind-powered energy solutions). This is a captivating ode to elemental nature in the vein of Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History. |
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| How Birds Fly: The Science and Art of Avian Flight by Peter CavanaghAuthor, photographer, and pilot Peter Cavanagh is uniquely suited to the subject of How Birds Fly, his illustrated exploration of this amazing natural phenomenon. Filled with fascinating facts about bird anatomy and aerodynamics as well as the author’s gorgeous photographs of various species in every stage of flying, this comprehensive volume will delight fans of Supernavigators: The Astounding New Science of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie. |
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| Bird City: Adventures in New York's Urban Wilds by Ryan GoldbergJournalist Ryan Goldberg debuts with a vividly descriptive account of urban birdwatching in New York City. The author shares his enthusiasm with an expansive community of birders who join him in his forays through the parks and neighborhoods that provide sanctuary to over 400 species. Along the way, readers will learn about urban environmentalism, wildlife hazards, and little-known facts about the author’s home city. Read-alike: Birding Without Borders by Noah Strycker. |
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| The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne by Chris SweeneyJournalist Chris Sweeney's richly detailed debut profiles pioneering forensic ornithologist and Smithsonian Institution taxidermist Roxie Laybourne (1910-2003), who utilized her avian expertise to solve murders, investigate poaching activities, and inspect bird-related plane crashes, the latter of which led to aircraft safety reforms. For fans of: The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson. |
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| Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili TaylorAward-winning actor Lili Taylor first became a birdwatcher and nature advocate about 15 years ago during a break between film projects. She noticed how observing the sparrows and jays outside her house awakened her senses, especially her ability to listen, a skill she prizes in her acting work. Today she goes birding whenever she can, in the city and country, and will inspire her readers to rediscover the gift of noticing the world around them. For fans of: Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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