KEC Book Club & Titles

The KEC membership is constantly reading engaging books.  We thought we would share some of these titles with you.  Take a look at the titles shared by members.  Leave a comment below if any of these are meaningful to you, or suggest new titles.  Members will periodically share excerpts from titles they are reading during our 2025 SEEK Monthly meetings.

Brad Brotje’s suggestions:

1. A Short History of Everything, by Bill Bryson
2. A Reverence for Wood, by Eric Sloane
3. Great Heart, by James Davidson and John Rugge
4. Mark of the Grizzly, by Scott McMillion
5. The Greater Cleveland Environment Book, by David Beach
6. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, by Janisse Ray
7. The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
8. Cradle to Cradle, by William McDonough
9. A Natural Sense of Wonder, by Rick Van Noy
10. Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman
11. Surviving the 21st, by Julian Cribb
12. The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells
13. The Story of More, by Hope Jahren
14. Entangled Life, by Merlin Sheldrake

Patti Koch’s suggestions:

1. The Book of Eels, by Patrik Svensonn
2. Beaverland, by Leila Philip

Todd Cartner’s suggestions:

1. A Sand County Almanac,  Aldo Leopold, (75th Anniversary Edition now $7.50 at https://www.aldoleopold.org/products/75th-anniversary-edition-a-sand-county-almanac )
2. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv
3. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World, by Peter Wohlleben
4. The Climate Action Handbook, by Heidi Roop
5. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
6. The Sense of Wonder, by Rachel Carson
7. Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas W. Tallamy (anything written by Dr. Tallamy)
8. Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, by John Philip Newell
9. Crossings, by Ben Goldfarb
10. Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
11. The Social Conquest of Earth, by (EO) Edward O. Wilson
12. Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, by Gabe Brown
13. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch
14. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy
15. The Alpha Female Wolf, by Rick McIntyre
16. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig
17. How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen
18. Braving the Wilderness, by Brene Brown
19. The Beast In the Garden, by David Baron
20. Finding Your Element, by Sir Kenneth Robinson

Lorraine McCarty’s suggestions:

1. Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from the Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis, by Michael Mann
2. The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What’s Possible in the Age of Warming, by Eric Holthaus.

Bill Wilen suggestions:

1. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken
2. Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, by Bill McKibben
3. The Climate Book, by Greta Thurnberg
4. The Climate Action Handbook, by Heidi Roop
5. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate, by Naomi Klein
6. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America, by Thomas L. Friedman
7. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save The Earth, by John Javna
8. Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win The Climate War, by Tom Steyer

Karl Liske suggestions:

1. When Smoke Ran Like Water: tales of environmental deception and the battle against pollution, by Devra Davis
2. Radiation: What It Is, What You Need To Know, by Robert Peter Gale
3. Tyranny of the Gene: personalized medicine and Its threat to public health, by James Tabery
4. Green Guide Families: The Complete Reference for Eco-Friendly Parents, by Catherine Zandonella
5. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
6. The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power Of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging, by Julia Hotz
7. Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You sick-and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien
8. How To Be a Conscious Eater: making food choices that are good for you, others, and the planet, by Sophie Egan
9. A Poison Like No Other: how microplastics corrupted our planet and our bodies, by Matt Simon
10. The Human and Environmental Impact of Fracking: How Fracturing Shale for Gas Affects Us and Our World, edited by Madelon L. Finkel
11. Animal Factory: the looming threat of industrial pig, dairy, and poultry farms to humans and the environment, by David Kirby
12. Better Basics For The Home: simple solutions for less toxic living, by Annie Bertold-Bond
13. The Long Reckoning: a story of war, peace, and redemption in Vietnam, by George Black
14. Sacrifice Zones: the front lines of toxic chemical exposure in the United States, by Steve Lerner
15. How to Sell a Poison: the rise, fall, and toxic return of DDT, by Eleena Conis
16. Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal, Film, screenplay by Jamila Ephron
17. Go Gently: actionable steps to nurture yourself and the planet, by Bonnie Wright
18. Start Now!: you can make a difference, by Chelsea Clinton
19. Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the post-human Landscape, by Cal Flyn
20. Healthy House Building for the New Millenium: a design & construction guide, by John Bower
21. Not Just a Pretty Face: the ugly side of the beauty industry, by Stacy Malkan
22. Kennedy Green House: designing an eco-friendly Home from the Foundation to the Furniture, by Robin Wilson
23. Waste: one woman’s fight against America’s Dirty secret, by Catherine Coleman Flowers
24. Voices From Chernobyl, by Svetlana Alexievich
25. Mill Town: Reckoning What Remains, by Kerri Arsenault