4 Nature Books that Changed My Life

And 'The Alchemist'

Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild

by Renee Askins

I read this book in high school when I just was getting into nature writing and could actually see myself, for the first time, pursuing a career in wildlife conservation. I am so grateful to this author for sharing her story.

“Honor and allow the mystery, love the questions and the otherness; it is from that wild unknown that any resolution to our environmental crisis must come.”

Wild Form, Savage Grammar: Poetry, Ecology, Asia

by Andrew Schelling

This one really redefined for me what a book can be. Technically an essay collection (and a bit scholarly), I had no clue that one writer could address so many of my favorite topics in a single, coherent whole: writing and reading and nature and Eastern religion and so much more. It helped me rethink the concept of hope and reframe the way I think about the future of nature and our place within it.

“May our children and their children’s children into the trembling future find cause to enjoy watersheds, bioregions, and grammars that are tawny, playful, wild, bright, and savage.”

Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

If I ever re-read books, I would return to this one again and again. If I ever got a tattoo it would be one of the delightfully whimsical illustrations from this book. (Probably the moose on page 112.) It is the perfect, accessible combination of personal, scientific, and spiritual- written, seemingly, just for me. This author and I are kindred spirits for sure. If ever someone suggests that I should not write my own books in a similar style, I will hand them Rooted.

“If stuck in the rut of your old route with no coyote coming for you, then make one up. Follow her.”

Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter

by Ben Goldfarb

This is the first beaver book I ever read, but nowhere near the last! In it, I learned about the man who encouraged me to start a beaver coexistence project which led to the eventual founding of my nonprofit, the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund. Since 2021, we have taught over 6,000 people about why beavers matter and consulted with more than 150 landowners on nonlethal beaver management. My copy is signed by the author, somewhat of an internet friend and colleague at this point. He wrote: ‘Thanks for giving a dam about coexistence with our fellow creatures, and happy beaver-watching!’

“Many animals are cute; very few are ecosystem engineers.”

The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

I read this book during a real crossroads moment in my young adult life and it revealed my path, clear as day. Sometimes books are magical like that.

“The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”