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Eden, banana leaves and margaritas: Book recommendations from 2022 Pritzker Genius Award candidates
The Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award community brings together brilliant minds from around the world to share what they’ve learned. At the annual award ceremony, nominees place some of their favorite books on a table to share. Here’s what they brought in 2022.
DREAMS FROM MY FATHER
by Barack Obama
Dysmus Kisilu chose this book for its “Kenyan roots.” This biographical novel traces the story of America’s 44th president, as it explores family, race, and identity.
Recommended by: Dysmus Kisilu
NUTMEG’S CURSE: PARABLES FOR A PLANET IN CRISIS
by Amitav Ghosh
This is, as Neil Vora says, a “great book on the legacy of colonialism.” The Nutmeg’s Curse claims that the current global crisis can be traced back to the discovery of the Americas and the opening of the sea route to the Indian Ocean, and that the origins of climate change are connected to the geopolitical order established by Western colonialism centuries ago.
Recommended by: Neil Vora
THE FEATHER THIEF: BEAUTY, OBSESSION, AND THE NATURAL HISTORY HEIST OF THE WORLD
by Kirk Wallace Johnson
“I love enthusiasts–those people and groups who go deeper into a particular niche than I can fathom. This book ties together ardent characters from disparate and passionate communities to tell a story of how societal flights of fancy can drive broad-sweeping environmental change.” The Feather Thief is a captivating tale of a strange and disturbing crime, and the unwavering quest for justice by twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist. It delves into obsession and humanity’s destructive impulse to exploit the beauty of nature.
Recommended by: Caleb Kruse
by John Steinbeck
Kelly Trott finds East of Eden to be “such a good story and a beautiful read.” As one of America’s beloved classics, this novel is set in the fertile Salinas Valley of California and tells the story of two families— the Trasks and the Hamiltons— whose members are doomed to repeat the events of the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the bitter rivalry between Cain and Abel.
Recommended by: Kelly Trott
WAVES AND BEACHES: THE POWERFUL DYNAMICS OF SEA AND COAST
by Kim McCoy and Willard Bascom
“Waves and Beaches is one of the most definitive texts on marine physical phenomena. The book was published as part of the Science Study Series in 1964. The most recent 3rd Edition was published by Patagonia in 2020 which included additional volumes of new knowledge gained by the physical oceanographic community over the last few decades.”
Recommended by: Jack Pan
by Mikhail Bulgakov
“Set in Stalinist Soviet Russia, The Master and Margarita is a fantastical and absurd story; a poignant critique of growing totalitarian bureaucracy and a comical stab at the hypocrisy in everyday Soviet life. It’s dark humor and strong thesis make for a very enjoyable and thoughtful read and encourages you to muse on how one can maintain spirit and connection in the face of great adversity.”
Recommended by: Natasha Allen
by Ash Davidson
“An excellent piece of historical fiction that takes place in the redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest. Told from the viewpoint of Rich, Colleen, and their young son, Chub. A story of love, loss, the risks people take to put food on the table, and how far people will go to protect the places and people they love.”
Recommended by: Amber Reimondo
FRESH BANANA LEAVES: HEALING INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPES THROUGH INDIGENOUS SCIENCE
by Jessica Hernandez Ph.D.
“It highlights the importance of Indigenous people, their knowledge, and the beauty & power this all has in restoring the land and a tool to combat climate change.” An Indigenous environmental scientist critiques the shortcomings of Western conservation efforts and presents Indigenous alternatives, drawing on case studies, personal narratives, and ancestral stories, with a focus on the perspectives of Latin American women and those who defend their land.
Recommended by: André Sanchez
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
“Beautifully, accessibly, and vulnerably written, it resonated with my own experience trying to restore and rebalance one’s world, in the face of pervasive and insidious damage to both the land and people. Her use of reciprocity speaks to the interconnected web that helps bind the wounds and heal us all.”
Recommended by: Tiana Williams-Claussen
PRINCIPLES: YOUR GUIDED JOURNAL
by Ray Dalio
“The book embodies a lot of life philosophies required to navigate the changing dynamics of entrepreneurship and the global society. As a Climate Entrepreneur, it’s one of my favorites!!”
Recommended by: Olugbenga Olubanjo
by Assata Shakur
“It’s a window into, and reminder of, how systemic oppression shapes what’s lawful and our societal norms. As well as how much our collective understanding and consciousness can change over time. And it’s stunningly written.”
Recommended by: Mary Creasman
by Dr. Joe Dispenza
“This book helps us understand how re-wiring our brains can help us to achieve our biggest potential. It’s a beautiful and scientific approach to spiritual concepts, with tactical practices and real-life examples. It’s a life-changing perspective if you’re willing to open and re-wire your mind.”
Recommended by: Maria Fujihara
DISCIPLINED ENTREPRENEURSHIP: 24 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL START-UP
by Bill Aulet
“Great advice.” This book teaches how to establish a thriving startup by creating a novel product. It presents a 24-step, all-inclusive, and effective framework that can be easily understood and implemented by anyone who is determined to succeed.
Recommended by: Josh Brito
ALWAYS RUNNING: LA VIDA LOCA: GANG DAYS IN L.A.
by Luis J. Rodriguez
“Captures a closer look at the impacts gang life had on a youth who transformed his life, through the depths of death, grief, love, and resiliency, which speaks to the reality of many of our youth today in Los Angeles and beyond who are waiting for a chance to be heard, love and understood. You can see his bookstore and cultural center today in Sylmar, a center that has transformed many lives, including myself.”
SUM: FORTY TALES FROM THE AFTERLIVES
by David Eagleman
“This book is a neurophysicist’s musings about life after death. One chapter explores what hell would look like: meeting versions of yourself that could have existed had you met more of your potential. This has driven me always, never wanting to have to face a better version of myself that could have been achieved in life.”
Recommended by: Sweta Chakraborty
by William MacAskill
“An ambitious and persuasive guide for making the future go better. A very well-researched explanation of risks to humanity and the planet, how we can influence them for the better, and why we should.”
Recommended by: Lucia Coulter
by Chinua Achebe
“He is one of the fathers of African writing, and the books (which I no longer have) bring back memories from my childhood and high-school days poring over the pages of a time whose echoes still call from time to time.”
Recommended by: Resson Kantai Duff
NO COUNTRY FOR EIGHT-SPOT BUTTERFLIES: A LYRIC ESSAY
by Julian Aguon
“The wisdom of Pacific voices are rarely heard through environmental research, policy, and programmatic work. This lyric essay is a haunting and beautiful testament to what we are losing — and what we are fighting to protect — understood through the Indigenous lands of Guam. Julian Aguon’s book emboldens me to get up on those hard days and keep going side-by-side with you, even though we may be thousands of miles apart.”
Recommended by: Kealoha Fox