50 Books like Coming Into the Country

The Way of the Hermit

by Ken Smith • 2023

One man, a remote Scottish loch, a hand-built cabin, and forty years of solitude and storms.

4.21

3k+

🏚️ Off-Grid Living 🏕️ Wilderness Survival 🍄 Foraging 🪓 Self-Sufficiency 🌿 Nature Writing

The Way of the Hermit 92%

One man, a remote Scottish loch, a hand-built cabin, and forty years of solitude and storms.

by Ken Smith 2023

4.21

3k+ ratings

🏚️ Off-Grid Living 🏕️ Wilderness Survival 🍄 Foraging 🪓 Self-Sufficiency 🌿 Nature Writing

BOOM

by Tony Horwitz • 2014

From oil sands to Gulf Coast: a pipeline route where roughnecks, strippers, and ranchers collide.

3.89

713

🛢️ Energy Politics 🏭 Oil Industry 📰 Narrative Journalism 🗺️ Travelogue 🌍 Environmental Justice

BOOM 92%

From oil sands to Gulf Coast: a pipeline route where roughnecks, strippers, and ranchers collide.

by Tony Horwitz 2014

3.89

713 ratings

🛢️ Energy Politics 🏭 Oil Industry 📰 Narrative Journalism 🗺️ Travelogue 🌍 Environmental Justice

Trespassing Across America

by Ken Ilgunas • 2016

He walked the Keystone XL pipeline illegally. The land and its people changed him.

3.82

2k+

🛢️ Fossil Fuel Industry ✊ Environmental Activism 🚶 Walking Journeys 🤔 Existential Travel 🌾 Rural America

Trespassing Across America 92%

He walked the Keystone XL pipeline illegally. The land and its people changed him.

by Ken Ilgunas 2016

3.82

2k+ ratings

🛢️ Fossil Fuel Industry ✊ Environmental Activism 🚶 Walking Journeys 🤔 Existential Travel 🌾 Rural America

Life Lessons From the Amazon

by Pip Stewart • 2021

Paddling an uncharted Amazon river, she found the sharpest lessons had nothing to do with survival.

4.08

194

🏕️ Expedition Memoirs 🌴 Rainforest Adventure 🧭 Female Explorers 🪓 Wilderness Survival 🌿 Nature And Wellbeing

Life Lessons From the Amazon 92%

Paddling an uncharted Amazon river, she found the sharpest lessons had nothing to do with survival.

by Pip Stewart 2021

4.08

194 ratings

🏕️ Expedition Memoirs 🌴 Rainforest Adventure 🧭 Female Explorers 🪓 Wilderness Survival 🌿 Nature And Wellbeing

The Secret Knowledge of Water

by Craig Childs • 2000

To understand water, go to the land without it. A quest for hidden pools, caves, and desert floods.

4.29

3k+

🏜️ Desert Ecology 💧 Desert Hydrology ✍️ Lyrical Nature Writing 🕳️ Hidden Worlds ⛰️ Sacred Landscapes

The Secret Knowledge of Water 92%

To understand water, go to the land without it. A quest for hidden pools, caves, and desert floods.

by Craig Childs 2000

4.29

3k+ ratings

🏜️ Desert Ecology 💧 Desert Hydrology ✍️ Lyrical Nature Writing 🕳️ Hidden Worlds ⛰️ Sacred Landscapes

This Land Is Our Land

by Ken Ilgunas • 2018

America once roamed freely across private land. Europe has the rules that could bring that back.

4.01

330

🚶‍♂️ Right To Roam 🏡 Land Ownership 🏞 Public Lands 🥾 Walking 🌍 Commons

This Land Is Our Land 92%

America once roamed freely across private land. Europe has the rules that could bring that back.

by Ken Ilgunas 2018

4.01

330 ratings

🚶‍♂️ Right To Roam 🏡 Land Ownership 🏞 Public Lands 🥾 Walking 🌍 Commons

A Walk in the Park

by Kevin Fedarko • 2024

A writer and a photographer attempt a rim-to-rim hike. The Grand Canyon has other ideas.

4.23

19k+

🏜️ Grand Canyon 🛶 Whitewater Rafting 🥾 Wilderness Trekking 🎒 Adventure Memoir 🌿 Nature Writing

A Walk in the Park 91%

A writer and a photographer attempt a rim-to-rim hike. The Grand Canyon has other ideas.

by Kevin Fedarko 2024

4.23

19k+ ratings

🏜️ Grand Canyon 🛶 Whitewater Rafting 🥾 Wilderness Trekking 🎒 Adventure Memoir 🌿 Nature Writing

Megafire

by Michael Kodas • 2017

A century of putting out every fire made the forests a tinderbox. Now climate change is the match.

4.01

254

🔥 Wildfire 🏕️ Forest Ecology 🌪️ Climate Disasters 📋 Environmental Policy 🌲 Land Management

Megafire 91%

A century of putting out every fire made the forests a tinderbox. Now climate change is the match.

by Michael Kodas 2017

4.01

254 ratings

🔥 Wildfire 🏕️ Forest Ecology 🌪️ Climate Disasters 📋 Environmental Policy 🌲 Land Management

Travels with Myself and Another

by Martha Gellhorn • 1979

Four continents, a famous companion, every awful moment a war correspondent refused to romanticize.

3.84

2k+

🗺️ Travel Memoir ✍️ Literary Travel 🥾 Unsentimental Travel 👁️ Cultural Observation 📰 Field Journalism

Travels with Myself and Another 91%

Four continents, a famous companion, every awful moment a war correspondent refused to romanticize.

by Martha Gellhorn 1979

3.84

2k+ ratings

🗺️ Travel Memoir ✍️ Literary Travel 🥾 Unsentimental Travel 👁️ Cultural Observation 📰 Field Journalism

Braiding Sweetgrass

by Robin Wall Kimmerer • 2013

Two sciences braided: a Potawatomi botanist on why plants are teachers and earth is a gift.

4.51

177k+

📜 Traditional Ecological Knowledge 🎁 Gift Economy 🌿 Nature Connection 🌱 Ecological Restoration 🌍 Environmental Philosophy

Braiding Sweetgrass 91%

Two sciences braided: a Potawatomi botanist on why plants are teachers and earth is a gift.

by Robin Wall Kimmerer 2013

4.51

177k+ ratings

📜 Traditional Ecological Knowledge 🎁 Gift Economy 🌿 Nature Connection 🌱 Ecological Restoration 🌍 Environmental Philosophy

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs

by Tristan Gooley • 2014

Puddles that point north, trees that forecast rain: the outdoor clues hiding in plain sight.

3.77

5k+

🧭 Outdoor Navigation ☁️ Weather Prediction 🐾 Animal Tracking 🔍 Nature Observation 🌿 Plant Clues

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs Summary

The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs 91%

Puddles that point north, trees that forecast rain: the outdoor clues hiding in plain sight.

by Tristan Gooley 2014

3.77

5k+ ratings

🧭 Outdoor Navigation ☁️ Weather Prediction 🐾 Animal Tracking 🔍 Nature Observation 🌿 Plant Clues

Give Your Heart to the Hawks

by Win Blevins • 1973

Three hundred miles from the nearest law, mountain men ruled only themselves. It could not last.

3.98

425

🏜️ American West 🏔️ Mountain Men 🗽 Frontier Individualism 🪓 Wilderness Survival 🤝 Indigenous Encounters

Give Your Heart to the Hawks 91%

Three hundred miles from the nearest law, mountain men ruled only themselves. It could not last.

by Win Blevins 1973

3.98

425 ratings

🏜️ American West 🏔️ Mountain Men 🗽 Frontier Individualism 🪓 Wilderness Survival 🤝 Indigenous Encounters

Man-Eaters of Kumaon

by Jim Corbett • 1944

One tigress, four hundred dead. A lone hunter tracked her on foot through the Indian jungle.

4.31

6k+

🐅 Indian Wildlife 🏔️ Adventure Memoir 🎯 Hunting Ethics 👣 Tracking And Woodcraft 🐾 Predator Behavior

Man-Eaters of Kumaon 91%

One tigress, four hundred dead. A lone hunter tracked her on foot through the Indian jungle.

by Jim Corbett 1944

4.31

6k+ ratings

🐅 Indian Wildlife 🏔️ Adventure Memoir 🎯 Hunting Ethics 👣 Tracking And Woodcraft 🐾 Predator Behavior

The River of Doubt

by Candice Millard • 2005

An unmapped Amazon tributary, a former president, and the expedition that nearly killed him.

4.21

79k+

🌿 Amazon Exploration 💀 Expedition Histories 🆘 Survival Narratives 🏛️ Presidential Biographies ✊ Indigenous Rights

The River of Doubt 91%

An unmapped Amazon tributary, a former president, and the expedition that nearly killed him.

by Candice Millard 2005

4.21

79k+ ratings

🌿 Amazon Exploration 💀 Expedition Histories 🆘 Survival Narratives 🏛️ Presidential Biographies ✊ Indigenous Rights

The Big Burn

by Timothy Egan • 2009

Congress tried to kill the Forest Service; a 3.2-million-acre fire saved it instead.

4.14

19k+

🗳️ Progressive Era 🌲 Conservation Movement 🔥 Wildfire History 🏞️ Public Lands 🌿 Fire Ecology

The Big Burn 91%

Congress tried to kill the Forest Service; a 3.2-million-acre fire saved it instead.

by Timothy Egan 2009

4.14

19k+ ratings

🗳️ Progressive Era 🌲 Conservation Movement 🔥 Wildfire History 🏞️ Public Lands 🌿 Fire Ecology

Mars and Venus Starting Over

by John Gray • 2002

He crossed Antarctica solo to finish what Shackleton started. After 800 miles, his organs gave out.

3.85

968

🧊 Polar Exploration 🫡 Crisis Leadership 💪 Extreme Endurance 🧠 Mental Resilience 📜 Historical Obsession

Mars and Venus Starting Over 91%

He crossed Antarctica solo to finish what Shackleton started. After 800 miles, his organs gave out.

by John Gray 2002

3.85

968 ratings

🧊 Polar Exploration 🫡 Crisis Leadership 💪 Extreme Endurance 🧠 Mental Resilience 📜 Historical Obsession

Last Chance to See

by Douglas Adams • 1990

A flightless parrot, a blind dolphin, and the last-chance quest to see them before they vanish.

4.32

26k+

🤣 Comic Travelogues 🦏 Endangered Species 🐆 Wildlife Conservation 🏝️ Island Ecology 💀 Extinction Narratives

Last Chance to See 91%

A flightless parrot, a blind dolphin, and the last-chance quest to see them before they vanish.

by Douglas Adams 1990

4.32

26k+ ratings

🤣 Comic Travelogues 🦏 Endangered Species 🐆 Wildlife Conservation 🏝️ Island Ecology 💀 Extinction Narratives

The Hidden Life of Trees

by Peter Wohlleben • 2015

A forester reveals trees are social, caring parents that communicate through an underground network.

4.06

90k+

🌳 Forest Ecology 🌿 Plant Communication 🍄 Fungal Symbiosis 🧠 Plant Intelligence 🌲 Old-Growth Forests

The Hidden Life of Trees 91%

A forester reveals trees are social, caring parents that communicate through an underground network.

by Peter Wohlleben 2015

4.06

90k+ ratings

🌳 Forest Ecology 🌿 Plant Communication 🍄 Fungal Symbiosis 🧠 Plant Intelligence 🌲 Old-Growth Forests

Solo

by Hazel Phillips • 2022

Excluded from alpine circles, she tramped NZ's backcountry solo. The risk was never the mountain.

3.58

198

🥾 Solo Backpacking 🇳🇿 New Zealand 📖 Adventure Memoirs 🏕️ Women Outdoors ⚖️ Gender Bias

Solo 91%

Excluded from alpine circles, she tramped NZ's backcountry solo. The risk was never the mountain.

by Hazel Phillips 2022

3.58

198 ratings

🥾 Solo Backpacking 🇳🇿 New Zealand 📖 Adventure Memoirs 🏕️ Women Outdoors ⚖️ Gender Bias

The Klondike Fever

by Pierre Berton • 1958

One ship carrying a fortune in gold turned a frozen creek into a city of forty thousand.

4.11

462

🏞️ Gold Rush History 🏜️ Western Frontier ⛺ Survival Narratives 🔫 Lawless Frontiers 🏘️ Boomtown Chronicles

The Klondike Fever 91%

One ship carrying a fortune in gold turned a frozen creek into a city of forty thousand.

by Pierre Berton 1958

4.11

462 ratings

🏞️ Gold Rush History 🏜️ Western Frontier ⛺ Survival Narratives 🔫 Lawless Frontiers 🏘️ Boomtown Chronicles

Tom Brown's Science and Art of Tracking

by Tom Brown Jr. • 1999

Read an animal's hunger and fear from soil, then discover how tracking becomes a spiritual practice.

4.10

335

🐾 Animal Tracking 🏕️ Wilderness Skills 👣 Track Interpretation 👁️ Nature Awareness 🪶 Indigenous Wisdom

Tom Brown's Science and Art of Tracking Summary

Tom Brown's Science and Art of Tracking 91%

Read an animal's hunger and fear from soil, then discover how tracking becomes a spiritual practice.

by Tom Brown Jr. 1999

4.10

335 ratings

🐾 Animal Tracking 🏕️ Wilderness Skills 👣 Track Interpretation 👁️ Nature Awareness 🪶 Indigenous Wisdom

The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806

by Meriwether Lewis • 2005

Starvation, rapids, and tribal diplomacy: the raw journal that built an American myth.

3.93

381

🏞️ Westward Expansion 🗄️ Primary Source Journal 🧭 Exploration Narratives 🌿 Natural History 🤝 Native Diplomacy

The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 Summary

The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 91%

Starvation, rapids, and tribal diplomacy: the raw journal that built an American myth.

by Meriwether Lewis 2005

3.93

381 ratings

🏞️ Westward Expansion 🗄️ Primary Source Journal 🧭 Exploration Narratives 🌿 Natural History 🤝 Native Diplomacy

The White Darkness

by David Grann • 2018

Obsessed with Shackleton, a soldier crossed Antarctica alone. His hero knew when to stop. He didn't.

3.97

10k+

❄️ Polar Exploration 📖 Explorer Biographies 🕰️ Historical Obsession 🎖️ Leadership Under Pressure 💪 Extreme Endurance

The White Darkness 90%

Obsessed with Shackleton, a soldier crossed Antarctica alone. His hero knew when to stop. He didn't.

by David Grann 2018

3.97

10k+ ratings

❄️ Polar Exploration 📖 Explorer Biographies 🕰️ Historical Obsession 🎖️ Leadership Under Pressure 💪 Extreme Endurance

The End of Nature

by Bill McKibben • 1989

Nature once stood apart from human affairs. We altered the atmosphere, and that separation fell.

3.94

3k+

🌍 Anthropocene Philosophy 🌿 Deep Ecology ⚖️ Environmental Ethics 🏭 Greenhouse Effect 🐾 Biodiversity Loss

The End of Nature 90%

Nature once stood apart from human affairs. We altered the atmosphere, and that separation fell.

by Bill McKibben 1989

3.94

3k+ ratings

🌍 Anthropocene Philosophy 🌿 Deep Ecology ⚖️ Environmental Ethics 🏭 Greenhouse Effect 🐾 Biodiversity Loss

Emergency

by Neil Strauss • 2009

A journalist masters the skills to survive anything except his own panic.

3.81

6k+

🏕️ Survival Preparedness 📰 Gonzo Journalism 🥫 Prepper Culture 🏙️ Urban Survival 🌲 Wilderness Skills

Emergency 90%

A journalist masters the skills to survive anything except his own panic.

by Neil Strauss 2009

3.81

6k+ ratings

🏕️ Survival Preparedness 📰 Gonzo Journalism 🥫 Prepper Culture 🏙️ Urban Survival 🌲 Wilderness Skills

The Outermost House

by Henry Beston • 1928

A year on Cape Cod's outermost beach, tracking the ocean's rhythm and the birds' ancient passage.

4.07

4k+

🖋️ Nature Writing 🌊 Coastal Ecology 🍂 Seasonal Observation 🏠 Solitude And Nature 🏖️ Cape Cod

The Outermost House 90%

A year on Cape Cod's outermost beach, tracking the ocean's rhythm and the birds' ancient passage.

by Henry Beston 1928

4.07

4k+ ratings

🖋️ Nature Writing 🌊 Coastal Ecology 🍂 Seasonal Observation 🏠 Solitude And Nature 🏖️ Cape Cod

The Ends of the Earth

by Robert D. Kaplan • 1996

Rivers and soil shape nations more than constitutions. A journey to the frontiers where states fail.

4.11

2k+

🗺️ Political Travelogue 🌍 Geopolitical Analysis 🌱 Environmental Determinism 🏚️ Fragile States 🏭 Modernization Critique

The Ends of the Earth 90%

Rivers and soil shape nations more than constitutions. A journey to the frontiers where states fail.

by Robert D. Kaplan 1996

4.11

2k+ ratings

🗺️ Political Travelogue 🌍 Geopolitical Analysis 🌱 Environmental Determinism 🏚️ Fragile States 🏭 Modernization Critique

How to Think Seriously About the Planet

by Roger Scruton • 2011

Why local loyalty, beauty, and tradition matter more for the planet than any global climate treaty.

3.87

446

🏛️ Conservatism 🌱 Stewardship 🏘️ Localism ⏳ Intergenerational 🎨 Aesthetics

How to Think Seriously About the Planet Summary

How to Think Seriously About the Planet 90%

Why local loyalty, beauty, and tradition matter more for the planet than any global climate treaty.

by Roger Scruton 2011

3.87

446 ratings

🏛️ Conservatism 🌱 Stewardship 🏘️ Localism ⏳ Intergenerational 🎨 Aesthetics

Wild Rescues

by Kevin Grange • 2021

Traded LA shootings for bison gorings: a paramedic’s transformation inside Yellowstone and Yosemite.

4.20

3k+

🏕️ Wilderness Medicine 🏞️ National Park Memoirs 🚑 Emergency Medicine 🩹 First Responder Trauma ⛑️ Rescue Narratives

Wild Rescues 90%

Traded LA shootings for bison gorings: a paramedic’s transformation inside Yellowstone and Yosemite.

by Kevin Grange 2021

4.20

3k+ ratings

🏕️ Wilderness Medicine 🏞️ National Park Memoirs 🚑 Emergency Medicine 🩹 First Responder Trauma ⛑️ Rescue Narratives

The Songs of Trees

by David George Haskell • 2017

Forests are societies. Underground networks let trees communicate, trade, and compete.

4.05

2k+

🌲 Forest Ecology 📝 Natural History Essays 🌳 Tree Communication 🏙️ Urban Ecology 🧠 Plant Intelligence

The Songs of Trees 90%

Forests are societies. Underground networks let trees communicate, trade, and compete.

by David George Haskell 2017

4.05

2k+ ratings

🌲 Forest Ecology 📝 Natural History Essays 🌳 Tree Communication 🏙️ Urban Ecology 🧠 Plant Intelligence

Where the Water Goes

by David Owen • 2017

The Colorado River keeps 36 million alive. Legal claims on its water outnumber the actual gallons.

3.93

3k+

🏜️ American West 💧 Water Scarcity ⚖️ Water Rights 🚿 Irrigation 🌡️ Climate Adaptation

Where the Water Goes 90%

The Colorado River keeps 36 million alive. Legal claims on its water outnumber the actual gallons.

by David Owen 2017

3.93

3k+ ratings

🏜️ American West 💧 Water Scarcity ⚖️ Water Rights 🚿 Irrigation 🌡️ Climate Adaptation

Mawson's Will

by Lennard Bickel • 1977

He ate the dogs to live. The livers were poison, and he was still alone.

4.26

2k+

🧊 Polar Exploration 🇦🇶 Antarctic Expeditions 🏕️ Survival Narratives 🗺️ Heroic Age Of Exploration ⛰️ Expedition Disasters

Mawson's Will 90%

He ate the dogs to live. The livers were poison, and he was still alone.

by Lennard Bickel 1977

4.26

2k+ ratings

🧊 Polar Exploration 🇦🇶 Antarctic Expeditions 🏕️ Survival Narratives 🗺️ Heroic Age Of Exploration ⛰️ Expedition Disasters

Rooted

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt • 2021

A field guide to living on a troubled earth, where science, wildness, and spirit converge.

4.00

5k+

🌿 Nature Writing 🌱 Ecological Spirituality 🌎 Environmental Philosophy 🌲 Forest Bathing 🐦 Animal Consciousness

Rooted 90%

A field guide to living on a troubled earth, where science, wildness, and spirit converge.

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt 2021

4.00

5k+ ratings

🌿 Nature Writing 🌱 Ecological Spirituality 🌎 Environmental Philosophy 🌲 Forest Bathing 🐦 Animal Consciousness

The Lost Men

by Kelly Tyler-Lewis • 2006

Ten men, stranded in Antarctica, marched 1,300 miles laying depots for an explorer they barely knew.

4.15

2k+

🧊 Polar Exploration 🏔️ Survival Narratives 🗺️ Expedition History 📜 Forgotten Histories ⚓ Heroic Age Of Exploration

The Lost Men 90%

Ten men, stranded in Antarctica, marched 1,300 miles laying depots for an explorer they barely knew.

by Kelly Tyler-Lewis 2006

4.15

2k+ ratings

🧊 Polar Exploration 🏔️ Survival Narratives 🗺️ Expedition History 📜 Forgotten Histories ⚓ Heroic Age Of Exploration

The Sacred Balance

by David Suzuki • 1997

You are made from the planet's air, water, and soil. Forgetting this is the emergency.

4.14

2k+

🏔️ Deep Ecology 🌿 Sacred Ecology ⚖️ Environmental Ethics 🤝 Human-Nature Connection 🌍 Earth Systems

The Sacred Balance 90%

You are made from the planet's air, water, and soil. Forgetting this is the emergency.

by David Suzuki 1997

4.14

2k+ ratings

🏔️ Deep Ecology 🌿 Sacred Ecology ⚖️ Environmental Ethics 🤝 Human-Nature Connection 🌍 Earth Systems

Walden on Wheels

by Ken Ilgunas • 2013

He erased $32,000 in debt by living in a campus van on four dollars a day.

4.01

8k+

💰 Student Debt 🚐 Van Life 🧹 Minimalism 🏔️ Adventure Memoirs 💵 Extreme Frugality

Walden on Wheels 90%

He erased $32,000 in debt by living in a campus van on four dollars a day.

by Ken Ilgunas 2013

4.01

8k+ ratings

💰 Student Debt 🚐 Van Life 🧹 Minimalism 🏔️ Adventure Memoirs 💵 Extreme Frugality

Last Breath

by Peter Stark • 2001

Drowning, freezing, overheating: death by nature follows a script your body already knows.

4.01

735

🫀 Human Physiology 🏥 Wilderness Medicine 🏔️ Extreme Environments 📏 Physiological Limits 🧠 Risk Psychology

Last Breath 90%

Drowning, freezing, overheating: death by nature follows a script your body already knows.

by Peter Stark 2001

4.01

735 ratings

🫀 Human Physiology 🏥 Wilderness Medicine 🏔️ Extreme Environments 📏 Physiological Limits 🧠 Risk Psychology

Step By Step The Life In My Journeys

by Simon Reeve • 2018

Suicidal at sixteen, one exam pass. He now films documentaries in the world's most dangerous places.

4.34

6k+

🗺️ Travel Memoirs 📰 Travel Journalism ⛰️ Adventure Travel 🌍 Geopolitics Travel 💪 Resilience Narratives

Step By Step The Life In My Journeys Summary

Step By Step The Life In My Journeys 90%

Suicidal at sixteen, one exam pass. He now films documentaries in the world's most dangerous places.

by Simon Reeve 2018

4.34

6k+ ratings

🗺️ Travel Memoirs 📰 Travel Journalism ⛰️ Adventure Travel 🌍 Geopolitics Travel 💪 Resilience Narratives

The Legacy

by David Suzuki • 2010

GDP counts car crashes as growth. An elder's vision for measuring what actually sustains us.

4.21

492

🌍 Environmental Philosophy 🌱 Traditional Ecological Knowledge 📉 Post-Growth Economics 🌳 Ecosystem Services 💚 Biophilia

The Legacy 90%

GDP counts car crashes as growth. An elder's vision for measuring what actually sustains us.

by David Suzuki 2010

4.21

492 ratings

🌍 Environmental Philosophy 🌱 Traditional Ecological Knowledge 📉 Post-Growth Economics 🌳 Ecosystem Services 💚 Biophilia

Getting to Green

by Frederic C. Rich • 2016

No major environmental law has passed in 25 years. Here's why, and how to fix it.

4.02

106

🌿 Environmental Policy 🇺🇸 American Conservation 🪓 Political Polarization 🌡️ Climate Change Politics 🛡️ Stewardship Ethics

Getting to Green 90%

No major environmental law has passed in 25 years. Here's why, and how to fix it.

by Frederic C. Rich 2016

4.02

106 ratings

🌿 Environmental Policy 🇺🇸 American Conservation 🪓 Political Polarization 🌡️ Climate Change Politics 🛡️ Stewardship Ethics

A Life on the Edge

by Jim Whittaker • 1999

First American to summit Everest. Then he brought Soviets and Chinese up the same mountain.

4.05

731

🧗 High-Altitude Climbing 🏔️ Mountain Expeditions 🥇 First Ascents 🧭 Expedition Leadership ⚠️ Risk And Survival

A Life on the Edge 90%

First American to summit Everest. Then he brought Soviets and Chinese up the same mountain.

by Jim Whittaker 1999

4.05

731 ratings

🧗 High-Altitude Climbing 🏔️ Mountain Expeditions 🥇 First Ascents 🧭 Expedition Leadership ⚠️ Risk And Survival

The Songlines

by Bruce Chatwin • 1987

The Australian Outback is sung, not surveyed: each verse a landmark, and the song holds the law.

3.96

13k+

🎨 Aboriginal Australia 📚 Travel Literature 🐪 Nomadism 📜 Indigenous Knowledge 💔 Colonization Impacts

The Songlines 90%

The Australian Outback is sung, not surveyed: each verse a landmark, and the song holds the law.

by Bruce Chatwin 1987

3.96

13k+ ratings

🎨 Aboriginal Australia 📚 Travel Literature 🐪 Nomadism 📜 Indigenous Knowledge 💔 Colonization Impacts

Grandma Gatewood's Walk

by Ben Montgomery • 2014

A denim sack, Keds, a shower curtain: a 67-year-old grandma walked the Appalachian Trail alone.

4.11

32k+

🥾 Thru Hiking 🏔️ Appalachian Trail 👩‍🦳 Women In History 💜 Domestic Abuse Survivors 🌳 Healing In Nature

Grandma Gatewood's Walk 90%

A denim sack, Keds, a shower curtain: a 67-year-old grandma walked the Appalachian Trail alone.

by Ben Montgomery 2014

4.11

32k+ ratings

🥾 Thru Hiking 🏔️ Appalachian Trail 👩‍🦳 Women In History 💜 Domestic Abuse Survivors 🌳 Healing In Nature

When It All Burns

by Jordan Thomas • 2025

A hotshot watches a megafire push ancient sequoias toward extinction and asks who lit the fuse.

4.36

2k+

🌲 Fire Ecology 🔥 Wildfire History 🌾 Cultural Burning 💰 Disaster Capitalism 🛢️ Climate Denialism

When It All Burns 90%

A hotshot watches a megafire push ancient sequoias toward extinction and asks who lit the fuse.

by Jordan Thomas 2025

4.36

2k+ ratings

🌲 Fire Ecology 🔥 Wildfire History 🌾 Cultural Burning 💰 Disaster Capitalism 🛢️ Climate Denialism

A Year of Living Simply

by Kate Humble • 2024

Owning less, fixing more, knowing your neighbors: a year of discovering what enough feels like.

3.71

2k+

🌻 Simple Living 🌿 Nature Connection 🛠 Repair And Reuse 🤝 Community Building 🌱 Home Gardening

A Year of Living Simply 90%

Owning less, fixing more, knowing your neighbors: a year of discovering what enough feels like.

by Kate Humble 2024

3.71

2k+ ratings

🌻 Simple Living 🌿 Nature Connection 🛠 Repair And Reuse 🤝 Community Building 🌱 Home Gardening

Imagine a City

by Mark Vanhoenacker • 2022

A pilot's repeated city layovers trace one hidden route: back to the small hometown he fled.

3.65

422

🏙️ Urban Travel Writing ✈️ Aviation Memoirs 🧭 Sense Of Place 👁️ Urban Observation ✍️ Lyrical Nonfiction

Imagine a City 90%

A pilot's repeated city layovers trace one hidden route: back to the small hometown he fled.

by Mark Vanhoenacker 2022

3.65

422 ratings

🏙️ Urban Travel Writing ✈️ Aviation Memoirs 🧭 Sense Of Place 👁️ Urban Observation ✍️ Lyrical Nonfiction

We Will Be Jaguars

by Nemonte Nenquimo • 2024

Abused by missionaries, guided by a jaguar vision, she built the alliance that beat Big Oil.

4.50

11k+

🪶 Indigenous Resistance 🛢️ Extractive Industries 🌳 Amazon Conservation 🧠 Ancestral Wisdom ⚖️ Land Rights

We Will Be Jaguars 90%

Abused by missionaries, guided by a jaguar vision, she built the alliance that beat Big Oil.

by Nemonte Nenquimo 2024

4.50

11k+ ratings

🪶 Indigenous Resistance 🛢️ Extractive Industries 🌳 Amazon Conservation 🧠 Ancestral Wisdom ⚖️ Land Rights

I Don't Want To Grow Up

by Scott Stillman • 2021

The default script is a trap. Here is the escape: simplify, follow instinct, and let adventure lead.

4.08

2k+

🏗️ Lifestyle Design 🏡 Simple Living 🌟 Childlike Wonder 🏔️ Outdoor Adventure ✨ New Thought Spirituality

I Don't Want To Grow Up 90%

The default script is a trap. Here is the escape: simplify, follow instinct, and let adventure lead.

by Scott Stillman 2021

4.08

2k+ ratings

🏗️ Lifestyle Design 🏡 Simple Living 🌟 Childlike Wonder 🏔️ Outdoor Adventure ✨ New Thought Spirituality

Into Thin Air

by Jon Krakauer • 1997

Everest, 1996: a journalist joins a climb, a storm hits, and eight people never come back.

4.26

575k+

🏔️ Everest Expeditions 🏔️ Summit Fever 🏔️ Expedition Disasters 🌩️ Hubris And Nature 📝 Survivor Accounts

Into Thin Air 90%

Everest, 1996: a journalist joins a climb, a storm hits, and eight people never come back.

by Jon Krakauer 1997

4.26

575k+ ratings

🏔️ Everest Expeditions 🏔️ Summit Fever 🏔️ Expedition Disasters 🌩️ Hubris And Nature 📝 Survivor Accounts

Becoming Animal

by David Abram • 2010

Literacy silenced the land; reconnection runs through the body, the birds, and the air.

4.18

2k+

🌍 Environmental Philosophy 🪨 Animism 🌀 Phenomenology 🐺 More-Than-Human World 🌲 Deep Ecology

Becoming Animal 90%

Literacy silenced the land; reconnection runs through the body, the birds, and the air.

by David Abram 2010

4.18

2k+ ratings

🌍 Environmental Philosophy 🪨 Animism 🌀 Phenomenology 🐺 More-Than-Human World 🌲 Deep Ecology

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M