Forgive me if I am repeating an entry, but I don't remember seeing the following yet (although, distracted by my thesis proposal, I haven't followed the thread precisely)... I strongly recommend Jared Diamond's Collapse. With regard to your target audience, I am hard-pressed to think of another environmentally oriented book couched so appropriately for a general audience. Also, some other books to consider:
The Green Reader (edited by Andrew Dobson)- not a bad general introduction to a diverse array of environmental topics. The Future of Life (by E.O. Wilson)- not as general, but a good read nonetheless. A New Species of Trouble (by Kai Erikson)- this has more of a taste of environmental sociology and is geared towards technological disasters, but it could open their eyes and generate quite a lot of discussion. I hope this wasn't redundant and proves at least somewhat helpful. -Josh **************** **************** Joshua B. LaPergola Graduate TA Biology Department, Villanova University Office: Mendel 192 Spring '08 Office Hours: Thursdays, 2:55-4:55 Phone: 610.519.5382 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________ From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kraemer, George [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 9:14 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Summer environmental with an ecologic FOLLOW-UP I have received 31 suggestions thusfar (I will post the final list). But I want to clarify the search a little. When I look at the list I see many great books. Most of them, however, probably will not work for freshmen-to-be with a diverse range of interests (e.g., math, sociology, art history, drama studies). I loved Song of the Dodo, but it's a little much for most of the target audience. I think fiction is likely to have greater traction with the typical 17 y.o., but maybe there isn't enough out there that meets the requirements of attention-keeping and environmental message? Non-fiction could work, if it were something compelling and "relatable" like Freese's Coal: A Human History, or one of Kurlanksy's or Safina's books. Think like a teen-ager... at least about what makes a good read. George P. Kraemer Associate Professor Chair, Environmental Studies Purchase College 914-251-6640 (o) ________________________________ From: Kraemer, George Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:34 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Umd. Edu (ecolog-l@listserv.umd.edu) Subject: summer reading with an ecologic/environmental theme Our campus theme next year will be "environment." Although it's defined broadly enough to include all constituencies, it presents the opportunity to reach about 500 freshmen with a back-door campaign of environmental literacy. I am soliciting the ECOLOG group for suggestions for pre-college summer reading with an environmental theme. It would have to be something that would capture the minds of 17-18 year olds, and should lend itself to discussions that might allow diverse discipline to have a say. Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer" or Michael Pollan's books came first to mind. But there must be other things out there that I've missed. Since this might be of interest to others, please respond to the list. GPK George P. Kraemer Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology Chair, Environmental Studies Program Purchase College (SUNY)
