| Seals, bears, whales, puppies, gorillas and kangaroos. If you’re fascinated by a particular animal, chances are there’s a great book about the science of that animal’s habitat and behavior. Here are three of my favorites. I don’t think you can find any better guide than Carl Safina. His book, "Becoming Wild," published in 2020, brings us along into the wilderness as he travels with scientists who are researching macaws in South America, chimpanzees in Africa and whales in the Caribbean. We learn how animal personalities emerge, how their cultures develop and how we can rescue their jungles, oceans and forests from destruction. My second book, which will publish this summer, is Christian Cooper’s “Better Living Through Birding.” You may recognize Cooper’s name. He’s the African American birder who was confronted in Central Park by a woman who falsely alleged that he was threatening her. Cooper has watched birds in his home city of New York and around the world and his forthcoming book is a memoir mixed with a travel journal blended with the pleasure of observing bird behavior. He says of his obsession: “I love spreading the gospel of birding.” For my third book I’ve chosen “Horse Sanctuary” by Allison Milionis, Karen Tweedy-Holmes and a foreword by Temple Grandin. The photographs capture the exquisite grace of rescued horses from racetracks or breeding farms or auction and are now living serene lives in protected sanctuaries.
— Kerri Miller | MPR News | 