The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our energy Future Gretchen Bakke (2016)
For students of Geography, this is a story about the complexities of scale. Beyond the fascinating physics of energy production and distribution, Bakke articulates the political and economic realities that shaped our current electricity infrastructure. Likewise, she considers the future of our energy diet and contemplates the technologies necessary for sustaining it.
Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and Plutonium Disasters Kate Brown (2015)
Brown details the local impact of our global arms race on both sides of the Cold War divide as well as the human and environmental consequences that long outlasted the fall of the Soviet Union. The story is well-written and captivating. It is also deeply disturbing.
Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West William Cronon (1991)
Cronon weaves together the urban advance of Nineteenth century Chicago to its rural hinterland. This is essential reading for students interested in Chicago history, written by the guru of historical geography. Von Thunen also makes an appearance.
The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas Jerry Dennis (2003)
We drink the water. We visit its shores. Still, most of us take the Great Lakes for granted. This is a readable travel narrative that takes us around the basin, reflecting on natural history as well as the impact of human society in shaping the future of this priceless natural resource.
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes Dan Egan (2016)
Egan presents a host of challenges currently facing management of the Great Lakes, ranging from the threat of invasive species to plans for siphoning off water to satisfy out-of-basin needs. Although a simple survey of many impending environmental hazards, this text is a good introduction for those wanting to better understand the current states of the Great Lakes.
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization Franklin Foer (2004)
Foer examines different issues, ranging from nationalism to anti-Semitism and racism, in the context of the world's most popular sport. This bestseller has a very readable text and each chapter can be understood independent of the others.
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters Rose George (2008)
Access to improved sanitation is a key indicator of development. Rose George introduces the reader to the marvel of modern waste systems, from the sewers of New York City to the luxury toilets of Japan. She also considers the issue of human waste in the developing world.
Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future Jeff Goodell (2006)
Goodell writes of the economic and political reach of the coal industry in America. As the title implies, Big Coal questions the sustainability and future of energy derived from such a toxic mineral.
The Bingo Queens of Oneida: How Two Moms Started Tribal Gaming in Wisconsin Mike Hoeft (2014)
This is a book about development. However, the setting is far from the developing world of the Global South. Hoeft investigates the consequences of legalized gambling on the Oneida reservation, located adjacent to Green Bay. The Bingo Queens of Oneida is important for its consideration of scale, evaluating approaches to poverty reduction and the complicated relationship between different levels of government within the American system of federalism.
Environmental Inequalities: Class, Race and Industrial Pollution in Gary, Indiana, 1945-1980 Andrew Hurley (1995)
This book considers multiple perspectives on urban environmentalism, from fishermen demanding cleaner water and access to piers to, as Mayor Richard Hatcher put it, "mothers of poor babies [who] must consider, in their planning for the night, that in their environment there are rats which may bite their children." This book is eye-opening, essential to understanding the different dimensions of environmental issues in urban America.
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Daniel Immerwahr (2019)
Written as History, this text illustrates core concepts that we study in Geography -- a reminder that these disciplines are two sides of the same coin. Immerwahr emphasizes the gap between how we perceive and govern the United Statesas opposed to the multitude of territories that are likewise American. Refer to Chapter 15 for a poignant account of Malthusian population policy in Puerto Rico.
The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us Lucy Jones (2018)
Citing a variety of scenarios, ranging from ancient Pompeii to the recent Fukushima-Daiichi incident, Jones examines how human societies amplify the consequences of events that we erroneously label natural disasters. Likewise, it is a readable introduction to the complex and dynamic physical processes that shape the world on which we live.
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape James Howard Kunstler (1993)
Kunstler penned this diatribe nearly a quarter century ago. Still, it remains relevant to the Twenty-First Century. His snarky prose exposes the consequences of living in a car-centric society. If you are interested in the concept of placelessness, read this book.
River-Horse: Across America by Boat William Least Heat-Moon (1999)
Many of the great American travel narratives are told from the road. As its title suggests, Least Heat-Moon experiences the United States by river, beginning in New York City and ending at the Pacific Coast in Astoria. The book an engaging reminder of the key role rivers play in American culture.
Detroit: An American Autopsy Charlie LeDuff (2013)
LeDuff returns to his hometown to write for the Detroit News. This is a story of people coping with life in an ailing Rust Belt city. The very real characters include autoworkers, politicians and members of his own crisis-ridden family. Both the author and the city are rough around the edges. Yet, you cannot help but appreciate the pride of place that is alive and well in Detroit.
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America Jill Leovy (2015)
This piece of long-form journalism explores the epidemic of murder in American cities, centered around the killing of one young man in Los Angeles. Written by an LA Times reporter, the text is readable and engaging. It pays special attention to the many boundaries that exist within one city and the different scales at which urban problems are experienced.
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design Charles Montgomery (2013)
Montgomery considers history as well as contemporary disciplines, such as psychology, to better understand how proper planning can improve the lives of city dwellers. Happy City encompasses a broad spectrum of contemporary case studies, from smart design in Vancouver to cost-effective and accessible public transportation in Bogota.
How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood Peter Moskowitz (2017)
This is a jeremiad for contemporary urban America. Moskowitz examines the causes and effects of gentrification from the perspective of working-class communities. This book provides a demographic history of four American cities: New Orleans, San Francisco, Detroit and New York.
Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town Nick Reding (2009)
Cities are the subject of many books on this list. Yet, Methland concentrates on one small Iowa town coping with its obvious decline and a seemingly-inescapable drug problem that follows in the wake of economic changes.
Makeshift Metropolis: Ideas About Cities Witold Rybczynski (2010)
Rybczynski considers the evolution of cities, examining key figures and and ideas that shaped the modern urban landscape. From this, he ponders the type of urban environment that will serve the needs and interests of future generations. This is a readable introduction for students interested in urban geography and city planning.
The High Cost of Free Parking Donal Shoup (2011)
This text is thick and dense. Still, students interested in urban geography will appreciate how The High Cost of Free Parking carefully spells out the detrimental consequences of our voracious appetite for unpaid parking. More than any of our recommended texts and authors, Shoup builds a convincing argument supported by an analysis of quantitative evidence and formulaic thinking.
Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and Awareness in Everyday Places
John Stilgoe (1998)
Stilgoe wants you to get out and see the world. This is a handbook for observing and understanding the way in which human activity has shaped the American landscape. This book takes great joy in the ordinary. You should too!
Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire Simon Winchester (2003)
Many books have been written about the British Empire, from rise to fall. Simon Winchester offers a refreshing take on this tired subject by journeying to the few remaining territories still under British control.
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America Colin Woodard (2011)
Try to forget the political boundaries of our fifty states and re-imagine borders as defined by cultural regions, almost like nation-states instead of states. This is a history of the 'Left Coast' and other cultural regions that Woodard envisions on our map of North America.
In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mubutu's Congo Michela Wrong (2002)
An examination of historical, demographic and political factors that help explain the persistent poverty and underdevelopment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is an unsettling, yet fascinating, page-turner!