Our annual summer reading list, 2025 edition
Happy 4th of July! Here's what our staff is reading this summer.
Welcome to summer, everyone! Each 4th of July, our staff share a memorable book that they’ve recently read, and this year, like every year, has produced an eclectic, thought-provoking mix. We hope our picks inspire some new additions to your own lists.
Each review links out to the book through Bookshop.org, which works to connect readers with independent booksellers. Happy reading!
María Paula Rubiano — Frankenstein
By Mary Shelley I know that a 19th-century novel about the archetypal monster seems like the least summery reading out there. But hear me out: Frankenstein might be the perfect read for our current political times. It's a novel about the blind pursuit of knowledge and the responsibility creators have towards their creations (ring the AI bell, anyone?). It’s also a novel about what happens to the soul in times of profound isolation, and a novel about taking action — however misguided — in the face of injustice. Finally, Frankenstein is a novel about outsiders. About the misplaced fears of a society towards those who are deemed foreign and, therefore, monstrous. Reading it has made my heart ache — for the monster, for its creator, and for ourselves.
Autumn Spanne — The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Even if you don’t make it through the entire 576 pages of Kim Stanley Robinson’s ambitious cli-fi novel, read the first chapter. It’s surely one of the most gripping, powerful accounts of climate catastrophe ever attempted. Part of its power comes from the grim knowledge that any given summer could produce the kind of horrific event that Robinson describes in such excruciating detail. In a sense, this is a novel that opens with the climax and spends another several hundred pages considering whether and how a devastating mass casualty event might finally spur the world to take decisive action.
I’m in awe of Robinson’s attempt to shape such a comprehensive survey of international climate policy into a readable narrative. I especially appreciated the compassion and thoughtfulness with which Robinson considers the emotional trauma of climate change and climate inaction. I was impressed by how he threads so many climate challenges and solutions and even if that tapestry only partly succeeded for me, he manages to steer us away from complete despair and toward a place of hope in the end.
Kristina Marusic — On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by Timothy D. Snyder
It’s a heavy topic for a beach read, but this pleasantly tiny book by a historian of 20th-century Europe inspires hope and can be read in a single sitting. It was published in 2017 in response to rising authoritarianism in the United States, and focuses on the lessons Americans can learn from European countries that lost their democracies to fascism, communism, and Nazism.
Snyder’s 20 lessons include specific directives like “Believe in truth,” “Defend institutions,” and “Remember professional ethics.” Each lesson is explained with stories about how past failures in these realms empowered totalitarian regimes, and suggestions for how America can avoid the same fate. I found it comforting to be reminded that we’re not the first country to face these challenges, and that we can learn from the mistakes of the past to avoid repeating history and hold the line against encroaching tyranny.
Katherine McMahon — Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death, by Susana Monsó
Susana Monsó, a professor of philosophy in Madrid, makes her publishing debut with a thoughtful and often surprising journey into the minds of nonhuman animals and their relationship to the concept — and reality — of death. Drawing on behavioral science and the study of animal cognition, Monsó dismantles the notion that awareness of mortality is a uniquely human trait.Monsó takes time to explore well-known and obscure stories of grief in the animal kingdom, highlighting the diversity in how different species perceive the loss of life, and how their responses may in some ways mirror — or challenge — our own.
As someone who has always been fascinated by animal behavior, I sometimes find myself wondering where the boundary exists between being perceptive to emotional and social patterns in animals, and projecting an idea of those behaviors based on our own internal experiences and biases. Monsó is meticulous in considering preconceptions about animals’ emotional capacities without ever falling into an anthropomorphic mindset, and in doing so, she presents an intriguing reminder that even in death, humans may not be so unique after all.
Lorna Scribner — Sociopath, A Memoir, by Patric Gagne
I have always been intrigued by behavior, both animal and human. As I have dug into my own brain, I have become increasingly curious about how other people’s brains work as well. Sociopath is a gripping and thought-provoking exploration into the complex world of people who exhibit sociopathic tendencies. She challenges readers to reconsider what they know about these individuals, providing a nuanced view that encourages both empathy and caution. It was fascinating to hear such an open and honest experience from Gagne. It was also fascinating to learn how society’s perception of and role in mental health research and stigmatization of sociopathy have played a big part in how it is understood and in its overall diagnosis.
Far from just an academic study, this book is a compelling narrative that holds the reader’s attention through real-life examples and case studies. The author offers an insightful and chilling perspective on the psychology behind sociopathy, delving deep into the traits, behaviors, and manipulations that define this personality disorder.
The combination of thorough research and storytelling makes Sociopath an essential read for anyone interested in psychology, criminology, or human behavior. It is sure to leave a lasting impact.
Educated, by Tara Westover
What most struck me about this book was how well it highlights the transformative power of education, showing how it can serve as a path to self-liberation. Westover’s story of growing up in a strict, survivalist family in rural Idaho is both heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring. Her experience will resonate with anyone who has ever questioned their upbringing or grappled with the tension between loyalty to family and the desire to forge one’s own path.
Westovers’s journey from isolation and ignorance to the pursuit of knowledge, ultimately earning a PhD from the University of Cambridge, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The writing is beautifully honest and emotionally resonant, allowing readers to deeply connect with her struggles, triumphs, and moments of self-discovery.
Whether you're drawn to stories of personal transformation, family dynamics, or the importance of education, Educated is a thought-provoking read that will leave you reflecting on the value of knowledge and the courage it takes to seek it.
Note: I think these two memoirs were even more impactful because I listened to the authors tell their own stories, creating a deeper connection.
Matt Kayhoe — The Order of Time, by Carlo Ravelli
There’s something comforting to me in learning that the future doesn’t happen after the present, that everything I think is real is a subjective illusion, that a rock is an event, not a thing, and that when I go to the beach, time literally does move more slowly there. And this is all science-based, not psychedelics. Carlo Ravelli is a theoretical physicist, named one of the world’s 100 most influential global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, and sometimes called the successor to Stephen Hawking. He writes wonderfully.
The Girl Beneath the Sea, by Andrew Mayne
This is the first in a series which chronicles the life and adventures of a Florida police diver, Sloan McPherson, a likeable, almost normal police officer who is also a single mom with a family background of treasure hunters and smugglers. She’s always in a little bit of trouble, but is always just a little bit smarter or luckier than her criminal or personal nemesis.. The series lightly touches on the stupidity of much of human bureaucracy, and throws in a dash of science now and then. It provides a bit of simple good triumphing over evil, which is a wonderful escape in these times we are living through.
Kate Mallek — Gaslight, The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future, by Jonathan Mingle
In the early 2010s, Dominion Energy first proposed routes across North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project. A very early route would have encroached on the family farm where I grew up, where my children and I live today. It got our attention. When the route shifted to a different mountain range crossing in a county just south of ours, threatening different families, homesteads, small businesses, and lives, we still felt the same. The pipeline galvanized an amazing group of people to work together. This was indeed a David vs. Goliath battle.
Gaslight is the story of this fight in Virginia, and the individuals who banded together to stop the pipeline. People from all walks of life, backgrounds, professions, and political perspectives stood together, researched together, fought back with information, and would not back away from the truths that existed behind the corporate greed and misinformation. The demise of the ACP was a great success for advocates, environmentalists, every regular person in its greater blast zone, surrounding communities, and for our climate.
In 2023, however, Congress took the unprecedented step, led by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin just prior to his retirement, of passing a debt ceiling bill that automatically greenlit the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a new pipeline with similar environmental concerns, with its construction fueled by the very same misinformation and greed. The MVP has been operating now for a year and still deals with lawsuits from residents whose drinking water and properties have been adversely affected by its construction and operation.
Megan McLaughlin — Vesper Flights, by Helen Macdonald
Helen Macdonald’s collection of naturalist essays served as an excellent antidote to my tendency to doomscroll. In the introduction, the author notes, “What science does is what I would like more literature to do too: show us that we are living in an exquisitely complicated world that is not all about us.” This resonated with me, pushing back against the human tendency to center everything around our own experiences, encouraging both humility and curiosity.
Macdonald, a writer, poet, illustrator, and naturalist, mixes stories from her own life with facts about history and nature. In a series of 41 bite-sized essays, the author contemplates topics like migration, belonging, and fragility through the lens of birds and other animals. Her writing is clear and beautiful, making you think about big ideas like home, change, and feeling fragile.
Sarah Howard — Brave the Wild River: The untold story of two women who mapped the botany of the Grand Canyon, by Melissa L. Sevigny
An adventure story of Dr. Elzada Clover and her graduate student Lois Jotter, the first two women who survived running the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1938. But more importantly, they were the first to survey and map the botany of the canyon. By diving into the lives of these botanists at the University of Michigan, the book gives an interesting overview of academic life at the time and the societal challenges women faced in both academia and while conducting scientific field work.
Jim Germond — Is A River Alive? by Robert Mcfarlane
Much of children’s literature is replete with a living, breathing natural world in which trees and creatures talk, rivers sing, and often, nature steps in to save the day. Upon becoming adults, we are advised to “put away childish things,” and abandon quaint notions such as the idea of a living planet deserving of legal protections. Our western democracy grants legal standing and “personhood” to corporations, including the right to sue their perceived opponents into submission — and sometimes ruin — yet perversely, rivers that have flowed for thousands of years have had, for the most part, no such rights.
With that, the writer pays homage to the birth and ongoing efforts of the modern-day Rights of Nature movement, which has gained some traction in the past 50-something years, while further reminding us that nature — as a nurturer and provider to be revered and respected — has been woven into the fabric of Indigenous cultures throughout millennia.
In the spirit of John McPhee, drives his ideas and concerns home by taking to the field to immerse his writing in three of the world’s great river systems. Macfarlane advises that, should we have difficulty imagining what makes a living river, we should instead look to what constitutes a dying river — rivers that never reach their intended destination; rivers choked in plastic and the refuse of modern culture; rivers that stink of pollution, toxic algal blooms, and all manner of bloated, rotting, carcasses.
Is A River Alive? is at times heartbreaking, often frustrating, and yet not without hope. As I enter my 17th year as a curator of environmental news, I also know that human civilization has pushed our planetary boundaries to the breaking point and beyond. The planet will survive, but at what cost? What will be the ultimate price of our willful ignorance — our frivolity? Water is life, we are reminded. Each and every one of us is a living, breathing, waterbody.
Major climate change reports vanish from US federal websites, raising transparency concerns
Federal climate reports that help communities plan for extreme weather and rising seas have quietly disappeared from public websites, with little explanation from the Trump administration.
In short:
- National Climate Assessments and other key data have been removed from their official websites, with no clear explanation or replacement links, despite being required by law.
- NASA is reportedly taking over the data hosting, but searches on its websites turn up nothing, and federal agencies have not responded to inquiries.
- Climate scientists warn the missing reports hinder local governments’ ability to prepare for climate risks like flooding, wildfires, and health threats.
Key quote:
“It’s a sad day for the United States if it is true that the National Climate Assessment is no longer available.”
— Kathy Jacobs, climate scientist, University of Arizona
Why this matters:
Local governments rely on federally published climate data to prepare for worsening storms, heat waves, droughts, and rising sea levels. The National Climate Assessment — compiled by multiple federal agencies and reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences — provides county-level insights that influence decisions like where to build, how to protect vulnerable infrastructure, and how to safeguard public health. Pulling this information offline not only disrupts emergency preparedness but also weakens public understanding of climate change impacts, especially in communities already at greater risk. Scientists see it as part of a broader rollback of environmental transparency and say it could cost lives. Without access to the best available science, cities and states are left guessing as they face an increasingly unpredictable climate.
Read more: Trump administration fires climate.gov team, leaving federal climate science site in limbo
UN official calls for criminal penalties for fossil fuel disinformation and lobbying bans
The United Nations’ top climate and human rights expert urged governments to criminalize fossil fuel disinformation, ban industry lobbying and ads, and phase out oil, gas, and coal by 2030 to meet their legal obligations under international law.
In short:
- UN special rapporteur Elisa Morgera called on wealthy nations including the United States, UK, and Canada to stop all fossil fuel subsidies, end exploration and flaring, and compensate affected communities for human rights violations linked to climate change.
- Her report argues that fossil fuel companies have knowingly obstructed climate action for decades through misinformation, lobbying, and legal manipulation, while reaping trillions in profits.
- Morgera proposes a full economic “defossilization,” including criminalizing greenwashing, dismantling industry influence in politics and media, and funding climate justice through taxes and penalties on polluters.
Key quote:
“The fossil fuel playbook has undermined the protection of all human rights that are negatively impacted by climate change for over six decades.”
— Elisa Morgera, UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change
Why this matters:
Fossil fuel production remains a top driver of climate change, threatening public health, biodiversity, and basic human rights. Burning oil, gas, and coal pollutes the air, heats the planet, and intensifies extreme weather — putting vulnerable populations, especially in the Global South, at risk of displacement, disease, and food insecurity. These impacts are magnified by industry practices like gas flaring, petrochemical waste, and plastic production, which contaminate soil, water, and air. At the same time, fossil fuel companies continue to wield major political and financial power, often blocking efforts to reduce emissions.
Learn more: Falsehoods about climate change slow action and deepen the crisis, global report warns
EPA staffer’s offhand remark on climate funds fuels political firestorm after secret video sting
A midlevel U.S. Environmental Protection Agency employee was secretly recorded on a Tinder date by a Project Veritas operative, triggering political attacks and agency rollbacks based on a misrepresented comment about clean energy funding.
In short:
- Brent Efron, an EPA employee, was recorded without his knowledge by a Project Veritas operative during what he thought was a casual date, where he described Biden-era climate investments as “gold bars” being tossed from a sinking ship.
- The phrase was used by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to justify halting $20 billion in grants meant for low-income and tribal communities under the Biden administration’s climate initiatives.
- Although federal investigators found no wrongdoing, Efron faced harassment, a federal probe, and career setbacks after the video was shared widely online, including by Elon Musk and conservative media.
Key quote:
“It’s been used to justify actions that I view as terrible, in terms of trying to cancel grants and claw back funding, and I want to set the record straight.”
— Brent Efron, former EPA employee
Why this matters:
Climate funding decisions increasingly sit at the intersection of science, policy, and politics. The Biden administration’s $20 billion in clean energy grants targeted underserved communities, aiming to reduce emissions, promote public health, and prepare for climate impacts such as extreme heat and wildfires. The abrupt cancellation of those programs under a new EPA administration — based on political rhetoric rather than evidence — could delay urgently needed upgrades to public infrastructure, harm frontline communities, and undermine trust in government programs. Meanwhile, the targeting of civil servants via covert recordings raises broader concerns about chilling scientific discourse and public service in an already polarized climate policy landscape.
Coal use drives sharp rise in U.S. power plant emissions amid summer heat
U.S. power plant emissions have surged to a three-year high, driven by a spike in coal use as utilities scramble to meet rising electricity demand during record summer heat and elevated natural gas prices.
In short:
- U.S. power sector emissions rose 5% in the first five months of 2025, reaching 640 million metric tons, mainly due to a 20% increase in coal pollution as utilities shifted away from more expensive natural gas.
- Natural gas prices jumped more than 60% compared to early 2024, prompting a 4.2% drop in gas-fired electricity generation and a 14% rise in coal-fired generation through June.
- Power demand is expected to remain high through the summer due to widespread heat waves, further boosting fossil fuel use and emissions despite record solar power output.
Why this matters:
Coal remains one of the dirtiest sources of energy, and its resurgence in the U.S. power mix is pushing carbon emissions to troubling levels just as the country braces for more extreme summer heat. When electricity demand spikes, especially at night when solar power goes offline, utilities lean heavily on fossil fuels, exacerbating the very climate pressures driving heat waves. These emissions not only heat the planet further but also worsen air quality, affecting respiratory health, especially among children, the elderly, and people living near power plants. With gas prices high and renewable sources still not meeting total demand, the return to coal is setting back progress on both climate and public health fronts.
Related: Trump EPA claims power plant emissions aren’t harmful, contradicting climate science
Cities are quietly outpacing nations in climate progress
Cities worldwide are cutting emissions, greening streets, and adapting to climate threats faster than national governments, according to a new international report.
In short:
- A report from the Global Covenant of Mayors and C40 shows 75% of major cities in the network are reducing per capita emissions more quickly than their national governments, with an average drop of 7.5% from 2015 to 2024.
- Urban leaders are responding directly to rising local impacts of climate change — heat, flooding, and sea-level rise — by planting trees, electrifying transit, and improving walkability and energy efficiency.
- Despite growing efforts, cities face major funding gaps: The report estimates they need $4.5 trillion annually by 2030 to meet climate goals, far above the current $179 billion invested in 2024.
Key quote:
“I think they’re going above and beyond in some respects, about planning for the future, as well as actually implementing some of the things that the federal governments have signed on to.”
— Dan Jasper, senior policy advisor at the climate solutions group Project Drawdown
Why this matters:
Urban areas house over half the world’s population. Their concrete-heavy landscapes absorb and retain heat, turning heatwaves deadly. Aging sewer systems buckle under increasingly intense storms, while sea-level rise threatens coastal infrastructure. As cities expand, these risks grow. Yet cities are also nimble: Mayors can act faster than national leaders and often enjoy more public support for visible improvements. But without enough funding, even the most ambitious cities will struggle to protect their people from what’s coming.
Related: Mayors lead climate fight with practical solutions as federal support wanes
California residents challenge methane policy they say pollutes under the guise of clean energy
Residents in California’s Central Valley are pushing back against a state-backed program that incentivizes methane digesters at industrial dairies, arguing it locks in pollution and worsens environmental health in Latino communities.
In short:
- California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) subsidizes methane digesters at large dairies, but critics say the policy encourages dairy expansion and entrenches fossil fuel infrastructure.
- Lawsuits and community advocates argue the program ignores local pollution and fails to meet environmental review standards, while benefiting corporations like Chevron and BP.
- Residents in towns like Planada, where many are undocumented Latino farmworkers, say they’re being treated as expendable in the state’s climate strategy.
Key quote:
“Many of us have witnessed this transition from an innovative regulation into a swag bag for venture capitalists, big oil, big agriculture, and big gas, increasingly coming at the expense of low- and moderate-income Californians.”
— James Duffy, former California Air Resources Board employee
Why this matters:
Methane digesters are promoted as a climate solution, but their deployment raises red flags for public health and environmental equity. These facilities concentrate pollution in rural, low-income communities already burdened by industrial agriculture. The Central Valley, a hub of dairy production, suffers from some of the worst air quality in the nation, with ammonia and nitrate pollution contaminating water and air. While digesters capture methane, they do not address emissions from cow burps or the fossil-fuel-intensive feed system. Worse, they may encourage larger herds and more waste. Critics warn the state's market-based approach favors industry profits over real emissions cuts.
Related: California's dairy farms and the controversy surrounding methane digesters
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals
One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.
Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities
“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”
Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study
"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”
Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?
A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations
An open letter from EPA staff to the American public
“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”
New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants
“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.