Still Thirsty: A Nonfiction Reading List for Adults

Last week we posted a fiction reading list (not exhaustive, but fairly long!) of books that used water as part of the storyline. We’re back with some nonfiction options that are still worthy reads—and ones that complement our newest exhibition, Water/Ways. Thanks in large part to Wyoming Humanities and The Smithsonian Institute, this exhibit features all things WATER (as if you couldn’t get that from the title. I know.).

Perfect for book clubs, discussion groups, or just because you’re interested in looking at a familiar subject matter in a new light. We’ve got these titles at LCLS—stop in and grab one, then take a peek at the exhibit!

NONFICTION READING LIST:

  1. Cynthia Barnett. Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis.
  2. Cynthia Barrett. Rain: A Natural and Cultural History.
  3. John M. Barry. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America.
  4. Richard Henry Dana. Two Years before the Mast.
  5. Stephen Grace. Dam Nation: How Water Shaped The West And Will Determine Its Future.
  6. Lisa Greenlaw. The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain’s Journey.
  7. Lisa Greenlaw. The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island.
  8. Laura Hillenbrand. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
  9. Sebastian Junger. The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea.
  10. Mark Kurlansky. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World.
  11. Mark Kurlansky. The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell.
  12. Alfred Lansing. Endurance: Shakleton’s Incredible Voyage.
  13. Aldo Leopold. A Sand County Almanac.
  14. Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Gift from the Sea.
  15. David McCullough. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge.
  16. David McCullough. The Johnstown Flood: The Incredible Story Behind One of the Most Devastating Disasters America Has Ever Seen.
  17. Thomas McGuane. The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing.
  18. Nathaniel Philbrick. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
  19. Marc Reisner. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water.
  20. Henry David Thoreau. Walden