As the year comes to a close, we are happy to share our annual Holiday Reading Guide. This list gathers fiction and non-fiction books, articles, and podcasts that members of our POLIS team have been enjoying recently. Each suggestion connects, in some way, to themes of ecological governance. We wish you peace and rest this holiday season, and hope you find inspiration in these recommendations. Read on and enjoy!
Books and Articles
by: Dr. Jennifer Grenz
This book explores and questions the central conceit of restoration ecology. It discusses the disconnect the author, Dr. Grenz, feels and her journey toward ecological healing. Through sacred stores, field observations, and personal experiences, Dr. Grenz invites readers to share in the teachings of the four directions of the medicine wheel: the North, which draws upon the knowledge and wisdom of elders; the East, where we let go of colonial narratives and see with fresh eyes; the South, where we apply new-old worldviews to envision a way forward; and the West, where a relational approach to land reconciliation is realized.
Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry
by: Holly Hogan
“Have you ever been so filled up with the wonder of a place that it wants to spill out as a song? Well, here is the songbook. I imagine walking through a forest and pausing to read these illuminating pages aloud to a listening cedar or a dipper. There are field guides that help us to see, and to name, and to know; Cascadia Field Guide does all of that and more. This is a guide to relationship, a gift in reciprocity for the gifts of the land.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass
Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind
by: Hayao Miyazaki
This fantasy tale follows a long-ago war and ecological disaster, where thriving industrial societies disappeared. Since, the earth had been sinking beneath the toxic Sea of Corruption, which creates mutant insects and poisonous air. In the small Kingdom of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Nausicaä bonds with mutant Ohmu insects and other animals. She strives to find peace and understanding among warring empires battling over the planet’s dwindling natural resources.
by: Richard Powers
In the novel Playground, four characters are brought together on the island of Makatea in French Polynesia. The island faces a bold proposal: to host the launch of floating, autonomous cities. The story delves into the intersections of innovation, nature, and community, exploring humanity’s evolving relationship with the ocean.
Not Too Late, Changing the Climate Story From Despair to Possibility
editors: Rebecca Solnit & Thelma Young Lutunatabua
Not Too Late encourages a change in mindsets on environmental issues and climate change from despair and fear, to hope and possibilities. It features voices involved in climate movements around the world, guided by Rebecca Solnit.
by: Michael Christie
This book follows generations of a family living on a remote island off the coast of B.C., and their connections to the forests. Spanning from 1934 to 2038, the novel explores greed, sacrifice, and environmental activism throughout the generations. “And throughout, there are trees: a steady, silent pulse thrumming beneath Christie’s effortless sentences, working as a guiding metaphor for withering, weathering, and survival.”
Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches from a Seabird Biologist
by: Holly Hogan
Message in a Bottle brings together nature, science, and adventure, and is a call to protect the oceans and the life they sustain, including our own. Holly Hogan describes her 30 years of ocean experiences as a wildlife biologist and how the presence of plastic was a constant throughout her career.
by: Carole Lindstrom
This book tells the true story of two Indigenous rights activists, Autumn Peltier and her great-aunt Josephine Mandamin.
“The seventh generation is creating
A sea of change.
It was a soft voice, at first.
Like a ripple.
But with practice it grew louder.”
Fellows Feature: Julia Watts Belser on the Functions of Hope
This article delves into the power of hope with Julia Watts Belser, who directs an initiative on Disability and Climate Change at Georgetown University. “I’m thinking and teaching a lot about climate change these days, and one of the questions that comes up so frequently is: Do you have hope? … so many of us want it, wish we had more of it, feel like we need it, grasp after it, and despair over the lack of it. So I began investigating…”
Podcasts
Indigenous Insights: An Evaluation Podcast
Each episode in this podcast features an Indigenous practitioner, leader, researcher, or scholar whose work or thoughts support Indigenous evaluation. This podcast provides an opportunity for listeners to learn about their work and the contributions Indigenous evaluation can make as we work towards decolonial futures.
