shizumataka asked: What books would you recommend?

Climate/Environment: 

• Cllimatopolis. A challenging argument, whereby Kahn argues that entrepreneurs and the free markets, not governments, will make cities better places to live. 
• Merchants of Doubt, by Naomi Oreskes. I won’t describe it. Every one my followers and readers needs to read this very important book. Buy it.
• Ecology of Commerce, by Paul Hawken. A cornerstone must-read on how businesses should operate profitably and ethically. Again, it challenges environmentalists to think about business infrastructure and the importance of profits. 

Politics:

• Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth? Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century. This is my top recommendation, and you absolutely have to buy it. It will challenge any liberal thinker to question the future of western societies. The fastest growing populations in the world are fundamentalists. In nearly every society fundamentalists are reproducing, accumulating wealth, and gaining power faster than enlightened societies. Women are being trained to “lead and breed” (my phrase) and the Michelle Bachman’s are preparing, strategically, for more power. The numbers don’t lie. More liberally educated factions are having fewer children. Whereas, fundamentalists are having 5, 10, even 100s of children, who by default of birth become fundamentalists themselves. Demography is the most reliable predictor in the social sciences, and Kaufmann’s thesis is being taken seriously at the highest levels. 

World:

• Anything by Simon Winchester - The Map that Changed the World; Krakatoa: The day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883; Professor and the Madman: The Making of the Oxford Dictionary; Atlantic.
• Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time, by Jonathan Weiner. A story of married scientists who spent 20 years on Galapagos studying Darwin’s finches in order to understand the evolutionary process. It’s personal, dramatic, and lovingly written. One of my top books that helped me understand evolution and field work (and family). 
• The City Reader, Richard LeGates. I love cities and I have a master’s in city planning to prove it. The City Reader introduced me to many different points of view on how to design cities. Lots of global perspectives, so it’s not too US centric. Also includes sections on climate change and city planning (my specialty). Now in it’s fifth edition, it’s a very popular book.

Law: 

• The Making of Environmental Law. My second highest recommendation. In clear prose and a fast pace, Lazarus describes how our environmental laws came to be. He tells the story of environmental law, and doesn’t get too technical. It’s a must for all environmentalists. 
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Like Lazarus above, the Lorax is a foundational must for all environmentalists and lawyers. 
• The Stranger, by Albert Camus. You’ve probably read it, and think of it as a sad tale of a guy wrongly accused. Read it again. This inadvertently introduced me to one of the West’s greatest contribution to the world, that of innocence before guilt and the importance of women’s rights.
• The Seven Degrees of Relevance: Why should real-world environmental attorneys care now about sustainable development policy? by J.B. Ruhl. This is not a book, it’s a free article published in Duke Environmental Law and Policy. An absolute must for environmentalists, or policy people looking to understand how protective theories transition into law. A very important read, and it’s short. In fact, it’s worth printing yourself.

Writing:

• Letters to a Young Contrarian, by Christopher Hitchens. This book helped me understand what to do with my balls. 
• The Spooky Art, by Norman Mailer. Taught me the art of writing. Bird by Bird is also must for writers.
• The Rings of Saturn, by W.G. Sebald. Heavy, reflective memoir that reads like a dream. Sebald is one of the best writers in the world. If it’s too heavy, start with his other book, The Emigrants, which is more digestible. 
• Nothing is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life, by Christopher Reeve. A contemplative, private book that shows how to be a good person, regardless of any personal challenges or failings. Just buy it! Have tissues nearby. 
• How We Die: Reflections of Life’s Final Chapter, by Sherwin Nuland. Very tough to read, and not for everyone. I include it here because, for me, I believe American culture covers up our final days as if it’s an embarrassing experience. And it nicely rounds out this section of the list on how to be a strong and decent man.

Novels: 

• The Children’s Hospital, by Chris Adrian. One of my top 10s and probably the only book I’ve read twice in a row. Gorgeous sentences, rich story, weird but real characters. And it’s a total mind fuck. A delicious, I-can’t-put-it-down-but-I-don’t-know-why type of book.
• A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole. Why are you reading this sentence? BUY IT NOW.

B-List:

• Pure Drivel, by Steve Martin. Endless lols.
• Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind How Changed the Bible and Why, by Bart Ehrman. Almost hearbreaking story of how the bible was written, re-written, re-re-re-written, and plain manipulated over the centuries. 
• The Cyber Reader, by Neil Spiller. Eclectic set of essays on the then new concept of cyberspace. Short run print, so it’s worth collecting. It also gives you a window to how some writers thought about the future. 
• Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey. Powerful book about life and the American wilderness. Just buy it!
• Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash, by Susan Strasser. Just what the title says, a history of trash and why we do what we do with it. Reviewers loved this book. It’s a bit lefty, so for that reason it doesn’t make my tops list. Still, a good read if you can tolerate the biases.