A READING LIST CREATED BY LIZ LYNCH
FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPORTSWOMEN
As an “adult onset” hunter, one of the ways I’ve made up for lost time and learned about hunting and conservation is through reading. Whether you’re new to the world of conservation and need a primer, or are more familiar with it and want to refresh your bookshelf, these reads might not appear on the “hunting classics” list, but they will help you become a more well-rounded conservationist.
1. BELOVED BEASTS
BY MICHELLE NIJHUIS
If you’re tired of feeling like other books view the uglier side of conservation history – that is, the rampant misogyny, racism, anti-Indigenous sentiment and colonialism, and classism – through rose-tinted glasses, this book will feel like a breath of fresh air. Nijhuis tackles everything from imperialism to eugenics without sugar-coating the roles these toxic ideologies played in shaping the mindsets of 19th and early 20th century conservationists. And yet, it doesn’t feel at all pessimistic: rather, realistic, about where we’ve been and how to get to where we want to go. She also treads into territory few other authors do: weaving together the histories and figureheads of “conservationism” and “environmentalism,” and featuring names from both camps who never quite reached the household status of, say, Carson or Leopold.
2. EAGER: THE SURPRISING, SECRET LIFE OF BEAVERS AND WHY THEY MATTER
BY BEN GOLDFARB
Fans of Dan Flores’ writing, including Coyote America, will love Goldfarb’s science-driven social history of the beaver. The book is primarily focused on their tumultuous relationship with humans in the United States and Canada for the last four centuries or so. Goldfarb’s writing style makes it easy to forget how much history and science you’re learning as you laugh, shake your head, dab away tears, and/or wonder how to invest your life savings in beaver deceivers (or maybe I’m just projecting my own experience…). It’s a fun read, and it shows there are many shades of grey when it comes to our relationships with certain species that are often painted as foes, who would be better understood as friends.
3. THE RIVER OF DOUBT
BY CANDICE MILLARD
River of Doubt will make you rethink a name well known to virtually all hunters: Teddy Roosevelt. Millard paints a grippingly vivid picture of one of the most dangerous experiences of the old Bull Moose’s life, as he, his son, and their party flirted with death more times than they would’ve cared to count while exploring a then-unmapped tributary of the Amazon. TR is an easy historical and political figure to lionize and to paint as an unfailing “man’s man.” Looking at his failures, shortcomings, and vulnerability under a microscope – through an action-packed narrative – reminds us that the maker of Midnight Forests was very much mortal and human after all.
4. TOMS RIVER BY DAN FAGIN
I remember going to concerts in Toms River as a teenager, but it wasn’t until my mom recommended this book to me in the last five years or so that I learned the town’s chilling recent history of pushing back on the sordid, selfish interests of industry that poisoned their water and soil, with dire health outcomes for children especially. Key takeaways include how scientists can make all the difference with research, data, and creative problem solving; learning to occasionally work with strange bedfellows to pursue your shared goals via grassroots action; what “the long haul” really looks like, and what it takes to endure it when your enemies have pockets that are as deep as their conscience is shallow.
5. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON:
THE OSAGE MURDERS AND THE BIRTH OF THE FBI
BY DAVID GRANN
Martin Scorsese is bringing the story to life on the silver screen soon, so if you’re an “I read the book first” or “the book was better” type, now’s your chance! But, far more importantly, this book covers truth that’s stranger and darker than any fiction. Grann relays the story of Osage people who were betrayed and murdered for their oil wealth and “headrights” in the 1920s. Like Toms River, Killers of the Flower Moon showcases community resiliency as much as it does the very real, very deliberate violence inflicted on both people and land by selfish individuals and industries. It also highlights the critical importance of listening to, uplifting, and believing Indigenous voices when it comes to social and environmental issues past and present, as well as the need for good allyship.
6. BRAIDING SWEETGRASS: INDIGENOUS WISDOM, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, AND THE TEACHINGS OF PLANTS
BY ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
Dr. Kimmerer’s book is a palate cleanser vis-à-vis Grann’s; it celebrates Native joy and wisdom, and the boundless virtues of Indigenous traditional environmental knowledge, rooted in reciprocity. I’ve waxed poetic about this book before, and with good reason: I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve revisited select passages, and how many lines there are within the book that were major aha! moments for me about ethics of food, habitat, and wildlife. Braiding Sweetgrass is a roadmap to cultivating an attitude of gratitude: when you become acutely aware of how many gifts the land, air, water, and plant and animal kin give us, you become inspired to give as many gifts as you can in return.
7. A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE: ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM AND ITS ASSAULT ON THE AMERICAN MIND
BY HARRIET A. WASHINGTON
In a world where it feels as though environmental dangers are lurking everywhere, the value of access to fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food can’t be understated. Hunting, fishing, foraging, and gardening can help provide that, but as many of us know, access to these things is far from equitable, and race – namely, notions of whom hunting and the outdoors are “for” – can pose a major barrier to entry due to personal safety concerns and a lack of representation. Washington uses ample peer-reviewed research and historical examples to demonstrate the harm of environmental racism in the United States. This book made me feel appreciative of the physically and emotionally healing qualities of what we do, and realize that I (we) have an obligation to ensure more (all) Americans have safe, sustainable access to the outdoors as part of our fight against both acute and systemic environmental injustices.
8. THE BIG BURN
BY TIMOTHY EGAN
While ostensibly “just” about the infamous, devastating 1910 burn(s) that ravaged millions of acres and radically changed our relationship with wildfire, Egan’s book also gives readers a look into the life of the U.S. Forest Service’s first leader, Gifford Pinchot, including his friendship with Teddy Roosevelt. It also adds a deeply human element to history by recounting some of the stories of those who survived the fire (and some who didn’t), including the incredible heroics of Ed Pulaski in Wallace, Idaho, for whom your heart is sure to ache. It’s a great primer to USFS history and a few major figures of public lands’ and conservation’s early days, but it also shows just how politically divisive and controversial public lands have been since their inception. Not to mention, you’ll see just how impactful the words and actions of a few bold, brave individuals can be.
9. THE SELECTED POEMS OF WENDELL BERRY [EPONYMOUS]
Poetry was my first writing love, long before prose. It wasn’t until I moved to the west coast after college that I really dove headlong into what I’d call land-based outdoor writing, ranging from Terry Tempest Williams to Ed Abbey. While not set in places quite so far west as those authors’ works, Wendell Berry is my own personal outdoor poet laureate. His writing is devastatingly, soul nourishingly tender, and Leopoldian in its rootedness in The Land and land ethic. This author-selected collection includes many favorites of mine, such as “The Wild Geese” and “The Peace of Wild Things.” Each poem will inspire you to deepen your relationship with the world that surrounds you with stewardship in mind.
10. GUNFIGHT: MY BATTLE AGAINST THE INDUSTRY THAT RADICALIZED AMERICA
BY RYAN BUSSE
Full disclosure: I haven’t read this book yet, but that’s only because it’s not going to be released until October 2021 (it’s available for pre-order now through Public Affairs Books). However, I’m certain this book will resonate with those of us among the “missing middle” when it comes to opinions about firearms in the United States: we are hunters, we are gun owners, and we’re proud of both— but we can’t make peace with the extremism of Wayne LaPierre’s NRA that has had a toxic, even deadly, stranglehold on the narrative surrounding guns in this country. It’s hard to imagine someone who could possibly have a more nuanced long-view of the gun industry and as rock-solid a conservation ethic than Ryan. I look forward to not only reading about his (many, varied, and wild) experiences, but also to hearing his thoughts on how we can move forward, and the conversations this book will start.
Liz Lynch is an outdoor enthusiast living in the American West with a great passion for reading and writing. Liz has dived head first into hunting, conservation, and is now an ambassador for Hunt to Eat, an apparel company with a mission to bring hunters together through hunting, cooking, and more. After connecting through Instagram, Liz has been so supportive of Rocky Mountain Sportswomen, and we are so grateful for her to have put this blog together for us!
We highly encourage supporting your local bookstore, or library to pick up a copy of these books!
Happy reading!
Follow Liz on Instagram! @lizdigsdirt
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