Summer Science Reading List

The Overstory by Richard Powers. When I was little, my brother and I would climb this enormous pine tree in our front yard, high into its branches, so we could see the Hudson River and the mountains on the other side. Those memories popped into my head when I was reading The Overstory, Richard Powers Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about trees, told through the eyes of nine Americans who from different walks of life and different times, come to understand the fragility of our natural world. The book is complex and tries one’s patience with the competing fables but stick with it. It’s magical.

Always Beta: Creativity and Its Practice by Israel Stol. Short read but very informative, this book helps readers understand the process of creativity, and how it can be enhanced in the workplace. If you are looking for a quick read that helps you think about an abstract concept while also offering helpful pointers on your own imagination, this is the book for you.

The Unexpected Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke. This book demystifies a lot of misconceptions about the animal world and presents the field research in such a light way that it's super easy to follow even if you're not a scientist. Cooke’s education in zoology and her background in television comedy combine for an informative and entertaining read. Plus who doesn't love to see cute panda pictures?

Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To by David A. Sinclair and Matthew D. LaPlante. A science backed approach to understanding why we age and how to prolong our lifespan. Using what we’ve learned about caloric restriction and the sirtuin enzymes in preclinical animal models, the human population are fast adopting this prescribed way of life to optimize longevity.

Uncaged: A Thriller by Paul McKellips. Uncaged presents a "what if" scenario when attacks on animal researchers leave humans questioning government, life, and science. It's a book that that asks us to determine what is most important in our lives: our morals, trust or our basic needs?

The Global Ocean; One Well: The Story of Water on Earth; and Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth; all by Rochelle Strauss. This Canadian author’s books are aimed at kids, but explain complex ecological concepts that even adults would find fascinating. A wonderful entry into important environmental ideas for kids of all ages.

I Am a Book. I Am a Portal to the Universe by Miriam Quick and Stefanie Posavec won the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Books Prize. One judge, Dr. Andrew Jupp, said “I was looking for books that were particularly engaging or presented science in a new way. This book encouraged the reader to touch certain parts of the page to transfer bacteria, balance it on their head, and drop the book from a height – the interactivity of this book is what science is all about!”

The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison. Scraggly twisted clusters creep thirstily, in this inspired book of science poetry aimed at kids.