Counterpoint: 634 books

A look at how development affects places from national parks to Napa Valley, and “an enthralling, lovely tribute to a lot of what is precious in America” (Tracy Kidder). Vanishing America recounts the author’s journeys between Washington, D.C., and Big Sur, California, as he tries to...

“A compelling and evocative read” about an all-out battle over a marine sanctuary in Northern California (Erik Larson, New York Times–bestselling author of Dead Wake). Located in that estuary was a small, struggling oyster farm. In existence for more than eighty years, it was accused...

A look at the chemicals surrounding us that’s “hard-hitting . . . yet also instills hope for a future in which consumers make safer, more informed choices” (The Washington Post). Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer pipes—now, it’s personal. The...

The agrarian tradition runs as an undercurrent through the entire history of literature, carrying the age-old wisdom that the necessary access of independent farmers to their own land both requires the responsibility of good stewardship and provides the foundation for a thriving civilization. At the...

How Buddhism can help solve our environmental challenges: “Though her book is dense with facts, it reads like poetry or a series of koans.” —The Shambhala Sun   We know that our earth is in crisis, but is the situation beyond repair? Are we on a path of planetary disaster where the only proper...

In Shishmaref, Alaska, new seawalls are constructed while residents navigate the many practical and bureaucratic obstacles to moving their entire island village to higher ground. Farther south, inland hunters and fishermen set out to grow more of their own food-and to support the reintroduction of wood...

Over the years, Wendell Berry has sought to understand and confront the financial structure of modern society and the impact of developing late capitalism on American culture. There is perhaps no more demanding or important critique available to contemporary citizens than Berry’s writings - just as...

A “beguiling . . . passionate and funny” biography of the alphabet—from A to Z and umlauts to dictionaries—by a bestselling author “whose fervor is contagious” (Boston Globe). In Alphabetical, Michael Rosen tells the fascinating tale of how our modern alphabet—those twenty-six...

An impassioned and rigorous appeal for reconnection to the land and human feeling by one of America’s most heartfelt and humble writers. When he accepted the invitation to deliver The Jefferson Lecture—our nation’s highest honor for distinguished intellectual achievement—Wendell Berry...

For nearly 300 years, capitalism propelled the world's most successful economies to new heights of development. But a spate of global environmental disasters and severe economic crises compels thinkers to question whether the system continues to function. Leveraging historical perspective, extensive...

Wendell Berry identifies himself as both “a farmer of sorts and an artist of sorts,” which he deftly illustrates in the scope of these 22 essays. Ranging from America’s insatiable consumerism and household economies to literary subjects and America’s attitude toward waste, Berry gracefully navigates...

A surprise-filled shellfish survey dishes up “ample oyster facts, figures and literary lore” (Publishers Weekly). When award-winning Texas food writer Robb Walsh discovers that the local Galveston Bay oysters are being passed off as Blue Points and Chincoteagues in other parts of the country,...

“Masterfully researching his subject,” historian David Carle contemplates the future of water conservation in the drought-challenged state of California (Los Angeles Times).   Imported water has transformed the Golden State’s environment and quality of life. Land ownership patterns and real...

An NPR journalist’s riveting exploration of religious fanaticism, terrorism, persecution, and confronting one’s own beliefs in a post 9/11 world.   Soon after the World Trade Center towers fell on September 11 2001, it became clear that the United States would invade Afghanistan. Writer and This...