Books about Animals

Books about Animals 

Editors: Leah Howland and Chloe Tiernan 

All the books we are recommending highlight issues that affect how humans relate to    ourselves, to one another, and to the natural world. Each one helps us to understand the    role that we play in the larger picture. 

Each category of book recommendation has something unique that can draw readers from    various backgrounds and keep them engaged. These books help us to think critically about our  lives through another lens, while bringing that lens to our shared experiences.  

• Beaverland recommended by Chris Edwards
• Cod recommended by Johnny Dandurand 
• Links to essays about animals that we read in class

 

You Should Give a Dam about Beaverland

Chris Edwards

“BEAVERLAND is a masterful work of narrative science writing, a book that 

highlights . . . history and contemporary storytelling…”

    -New York Times Editor’s Choice

From the colonial past and beyond to the future of climate change prevention, beavers have and will continue to shape the geopolitics of North America. And what better way to understand this history than through the fascinating read that is Leila Philip’s Beaverland.

Diving straight down into the beaver pond, Leila Philip works to cover the entire history of beavers in North America. Discussing the earliest influence on trans-Atlantic trade and covering American expansion westward, she explains clearly for the reader the size of the mark beavers have left on American colonialism and the greater influence they have had on modern capitalism. Philip walks the reader through the expansion of fur trading into the first American corporations, and by extension, the first multi-millionaires.

But the story of beavers is still being written, and Leila Philip isn’t content to close the book yet. Putting investigative research to work, she works to tell the modern story of the fur trade, and the efforts of conservation to end it. Leaving no stone unturned and no lodge untouched, Philip makes her way through both sides of the fur trade, interviewing the people who make their livings off of the pelts of beavers as well as the combined forces for beaver conservation, including the activist group known as the Beaver Believers. With thorough research and field investigation, Philip covers every angle of the story and discussion behind these critters.

Through this book, Leila Philip is able to fully display beavers in the spotlight they deserve, demonstrating their lengthy history in geopolitics to their modern-day roles in wildlife conservation and climate change. This book covers everything about these strange animals, using an excellent source of humor and a set of storytelling skills only fitting for such a legacy.

A Fish That Has Fueled Civilization 

Johnny Dandurand

In his book, Cod, author Mark Kurlansky closely examines the role that cod has played in human history. Going all the way back to the Vikings of Scandinavia, cod has fueled civilizations, especially those in the North Atlantic, and even sparked wars for the rights to fish for it. Cod is extremely informative and entertaining, and it even provides historical cod recipes that anyone can try. These recipes also underscore the importance that cod has played throughout history and show its versatility in nourishing the many civilizations that have utilized it. 

Cod is appealing both to environmentalists and to history buffs. Kurlansky wonderfully blends the scientific, ecological details of cod with the role they have played throughout history. Many different historical periods are referenced, such as the Vikings crossing the Atlantic or the pilgrims arriving in North America. Kurlansky really goes the extra mile in painting vivid historical pictures and placing the reader right in the middle of history. His lighthearted, informal tone engages the reader and will have anyone wanting to read more. 

The book is split into three sections. The first two mostly talk about the importance of cod historically. In the final section, Kurlansky shifts the focus to the decline of cod due to overfishing. He looks at how dwindling cod populations have negatively affected areas in the North Atlantic, such as Norway and the Canadian Maritime provinces. By placing this section last, after discussing the history and human reliance on cod, the reader gains a deeper understanding of how communities who have historically relied on the fish are hurt by its decline. It leaves the reader with a greater understanding of nature’s fragility and how humans must respect what they are given from the natural world. 

Kurlansky’s organization and historical knowledge make Cod a fun, engaging, and simply interesting book to read. It takes a great writing ability to make such a mundane subject appear so important and exciting to learn about, but Kurlansky seems to do this effortlessly. The cod recipes that he sprinkles in throughout the book make this a unique reading experience.