Last updated: October 2026
Reading List
Books we’ve read and found worthwhile — on philanthropy, nonprofits, conservation, and the places we work. Each title links to its page on Amazon.
Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving (opens in a new tab)
Sharna Goldseker & Michael Moody
An insider's look at the Gen X and Millennial donors reshaping philanthropy — their hands-on, boundary-pushing giving strategies and how nonprofits can engage them.
We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth (opens in a new tab)
Jennifer Risher
Jennifer Risher recounts becoming wealthy through the dot-com boom and examines how wealth shapes identity, relationships, and social connection.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself (opens in a new tab)
Nedra Glover Tawwab
A practical guide to identifying and communicating personal needs and setting healthy boundaries in relationships and everyday life.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (opens in a new tab)
Michael Pollan
Pollan traces four meals back through their origins to explore how food is produced and the consequences of modern food systems.
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (opens in a new tab)
Michael Pollan
Pollan critiques nutritionism and the Western diet, advocating the simple principle: eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts (opens in a new tab)
Mary Claire Haver, MD
A science-backed guide to menopause symptoms, treatment options, and advocating for long-term health during and after the hormonal transition.
The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us (opens in a new tab)
Meg Lowman
A memoir of tree scientist Meg Lowman’s canopy explorations around the world and her work studying and protecting forests.
Lab Girl (opens in a new tab)
Hope Jahren
A memoir recounting Hope Jahren’s life as a scientist, her research, and her partnership with lab manager Bill.
The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines (opens in a new tab)
Cassandra Leah Quave
Medical ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave recounts field research into plants and traditional remedies that may help address antimicrobial resistance.
Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live (opens in a new tab)
Rob Dunn
Biologist Rob Dunn surveys the diverse microbes and animals living in human homes and explains how modern domestic environments shape their evolution.
Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It (opens in a new tab)
Laurie Mintz
Psychologist Laurie Mintz examines the cultural and educational roots of the orgasm gap and offers evidence-based guidance on female sexual pleasure and communication.
Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark (opens in a new tab)
Leigh Ann Henion
Nature writer Leigh Ann Henion explores nocturnal wildlife and the wonders of natural darkness through encounters with species and naturalists in Appalachia.
Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver (opens in a new tab)
Jill Heinerth
Cave diver Jill Heinerth recounts her underwater explorations, scientific discoveries, and experiences confronting the dangers of submerged caves.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants (opens in a new tab)
Robin Wall Kimmerer
A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation blends scientific knowledge and Indigenous teachings to explore reciprocal relationships between humans and the living world.
The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature (opens in a new tab)
David George Haskell
Biologist David Haskell observes a one-square-meter patch of Tennessee forest over a year, using its seasonal details to illuminate ecology and the connections among living things.
The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well with the Rest of Life (opens in a new tab)
Rob Dunn
Rob Dunn explores mutualism—from honeyguides and people to microbes, ants, plants, and animals—as a fundamental force in evolution and a model for a more interconnected human future.
The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism (opens in a new tab)
Dr. Jen Gunter
Gynecologist Jennifer Gunter counters menopause myths with medical evidence, historical context, and practical guidance to help readers understand and navigate the menopause transition.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (opens in a new tab)
David Epstein
The case for breadth over early specialization — why generalists often end up ahead in a world that prizes narrow expertise.
The XX Brain: The Groundbreaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease (opens in a new tab)
Lisa Mosconi, PhD, with Maria Shriver
The science of women's brain health, and how to protect against cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.
Funding Your Mission: The Modern Guide to Nonprofit Finance (opens in a new tab)
Karen Houghton
A modern guide to nonprofit finance, funding, and investments — by the Atlanta-based founder of Infinite Giving.
La Doctora: An American Doctor in the Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Linnea Smith, M.D.
A memoir of an American doctor who left Wisconsin to run a remote medical clinic in the Peruvian Amazon.
Lending Power: How Self-Help Credit Union Turned Small-Time Loans into Big-Time Change (opens in a new tab)
Howard E. Covington Jr.
The story of Self-Help Credit Union and how community development lending opened doors for borrowers the banks overlooked.
The Myth of the Silver Spoon: Navigating Family Wealth and Creating an Impactful Life (opens in a new tab)
Kristin Keffeler & Sharna Goldseker
On growing up in a wealthy family and charting an impactful life and identity of your own.
The Georgia Farmers' Strike: The American Agricultural Movement vs. Jimmy Carter (opens in a new tab)
Lee Lancaster
How Georgia farmers' tractorcade protests in the late 1970s became the largest farmer-led demonstration in American history.