Books like We Are the Middle of Forever by Dahr Jamail

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks follows the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells were taken in 1951 without her consent and later became the first immortal human cell line, HeLa, driving major scientific breakthroughs while raising questions of ethics, race, and medical exploitation.

A sweeping narrative of diverse characters linked by trees, exploring how they learn to see the hidden world of forests and join a fight to preserve the last virgin woodlands.

In Mumbai’s slums, families chase better lives as India’s prosperity rises, revealing the human side of global inequality.

Robin Wall Kimmerer blends scientific inquiry and Indigenous wisdom, illustrating how listening to plant and animal languages can deepen our ecological stewardship.

Sy Montgomery explores the remarkable minds of octopuses, revealing their intelligence, curiosity and skill through vivid encounters and scientific insight.

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris explains how childhood stress and trauma can create lasting health problems and offers ways to disrupt the cycle for both children and their families.

"Climate change is profoundly altering our world in ways that pose major risks to human societies and natural systems. We have entered the Climate Casino and are rolling the global-warming dice, warns economist William Nordhaus. But there is still time to turn around and walk back out of the casino, and in this essential book the author explains how. Bringing together all the important issues surrounding the climate debate, Nordhaus describes the science, economics, and politics involved--and the steps necessary to reduce the perils of global warming. Using language accessible to any concerned citizen and taking care to present different points of view fairly, he discusses the problem from start to finish: from the beginning, where warming originates in our personal energy use, to the end, where societies employ regulations or taxes or subsidies to slow the emissions of gases responsible for climate change. Nordhaus offers a new analysis of why earlier policies, such as the Kyoto Protocol, failed to slow carbon dioxide emissions, how new approaches can succeed, and which policy tools will most effectively reduce emissions. In short, he clarifies a defining problem of our times and lays out the next critical steps for slowing the trajectory of global warming." -- Publisher's description.

Bill McKibben’s landmark book argues that humanity’s survival hinges on a profound shift in how we treat nature, examining the greenhouse effect, acid rain and ozone depletion.

Are trees social beings? Forester and author Peter Wohlleben makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.

In rural Feathertown, Tennessee, 29‑year‑old Dellarobia Turnbow confronts the contradictions of a life shaped by early marriage, baby‑bearing and unfulfilled ambitions.