This spring, dig into the complexities of the modern food system—and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! In Carbon: The Book of Life and White Light, Paul Hawken and Jack Lohmann draw our attention to the miniscule and the elements that are essential to our world. In How the World Eats and How to Feed The World, Julian Baggini and Vaclav Smil invite readers to zoom out and piece together larger puzzles of hunger and climate change. In their recent cookbooks, chefs including Robert Oliver and Nina Compton capture rich cultural histories while remaining on the cutting edge of culinary trends. From stories of immigration, legal battles against corporate exploitation, and urban gardening after Hurricane Katrina, there are so many issues to dive into to learn about the way we grow and eat on planet Earth. These books will help satisfy your appetite for knowledge and inspire you to work toward a more just and sustainable food system.
1. Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator by Ben Brisbois
The city of Machala, Ecuador describes itself as the “banana capital of the world.” Ben Brisbois reveals the less-palatable side of the banana industry, from devastating health impacts of pesticides to imperialism and ecological destruction. Banana Capital draws attention to the global exploitation of agro-economies in Latin America, and to what we can do to stop it.
2. Carbon: The Book of Life by Paul Hawken
New York Times bestselling author and the Founder of Project Drawdown Paul Hawken examines the world through one of the primary building blocks of life: carbon. His latest book takes a deep dive into the realms of plants, animals, insects, fungi, food, and farms to demonstrate how intertwined carbon is with the human experience. And Hawken reveals what possibilities the element may open up in the future.
3. Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America by Sonja Trom Eayrs
Attorney and “farmer’s daughter” Eayrs chronicles the long history of havoc wreaked by corporate farms on rural communities. Following a first-hand account of her parents’ legal battle to keep a corporate farm out of Dodge County, Minnesota, she documents how Big Ag came to control today’s food system—and why we need to fight it.
4. Eat Pacific: The Pacific Island Food Revolution Cookbook by Robert Oliver
Based on the TV show Pacific Island Food Revolution, host and award-winning chef Robert Oliver shares 139 delicious recipes from across the Pacific. More than just recipes, this cookbook contains a powerful message about the importance of local food cultures to human health and sustainability.
5. Gardens of Hope: Cultivating Food and the Future in a Post-Disaster City by Yuki Kato (Forthcoming May 2025)
Drawing from conversations with New Orleans residents, Yuki Kato examines the surge of urban gardening in the city during the decade after Hurricane Katrina. She documents the efforts of individuals and communities who can imagine alternative futures—food secure futures, climate-resilient futures—and why grit is not always enough.
6. Gluten Free for Life: Celiac Disease, Medical Recognition, and the Food Industry by Emily K. Abel
Approximately one in 100 Americans are affected by Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that requires lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. Abel highlights Celiac in a way few have before, highlighting the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges of the disease and the gluten-free industry. She frames Celiac as an often-invisible disability, and disability itself as a social and political issue that cannot be addressed through science alone.
7. How the World Eats: A Global Food Philosophy by Julian Baggini
Philosopher and best-selling author Julian Baggini of How the World Eats tackles another big question facing humankind: how do we eat? And how should we eat? Baggini explores the ethics of various food systems and technologies, past and present, and ultimately calls for a global philosophy of food.
8. How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food by Vaclav Smil
In an increasingly complicated global food system, Vaclav Smil offers a data-driven, scientific approach to understanding the massive issues facing food and agriculture today. He explores questions of growing populations, inequitable distribution, and environmental harm, suggesting ways to bring us closer to feeding the planet without destroying it.
9. In the Global Vanguard: Agrarian Development and the Making of Modern Taiwan by James Lin
James Lin details the late-20th-century transformation of Taiwan from an agricultural colony into a global economic power. In particular, he describes how the Taiwanese government exported agricultural technology and expertise across Africa and Southeast Asia. Lin argues that these development missions were used to bolster Taiwan’s position as a powerful and technologically-modern nation during its years of martial law.
10. Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey: A Cookbook by Nina Compton (Forthcoming April 2025)
In a celebration of Afro-Caribbean cuisine, award-winning chef Nina Compton shares 100 flavorful recipes based in her trans-continental and intercultural heritage. Interspersed with photographs and narrative, Compton brings cultural history to the cutting edge with delicious and relevant recipes.
11. México Between Feast and Famine: Food, Corporate Power, and Inequality by Enrique C. Ochoa (Forthcoming April 2025)
Mexico is known for its culinary richness, but inequality and globalization are impacting its food and agriculture systems. Enrique Ochoa brings such contradictions to light by analyzing the historical roots of Mexico’s food system, including some of its biggest food production companies and public health issues. Still, Ochoa offers hope for a future that prioritizes justice and well-being for Mexicans.
12. On Gold Hill: A Personal History of Wheat, Farming, and Family, from Punjab to California by Jaclyn Moyer
An enmeshment of personal and societal histories, Jaclyn Moyer tells her story as an organic farmer against a backdrop of capitalism and colonialism. She grows Sonora wheat, a nearly-forgotten heirloom variety with roots traceable to Punjab—the Indian state from which Moyer’s parents immigrated. On Gold Hill is a story of reclamation, resilience, and the complex diasporic experience as it relates to the planet and its people.
13. Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets: Human, Animal and Planetary Health edited by Joyce D’Silva and Carol McKenna
An argument for urgent, radical change in farming practices, this book makes clear the importance of regenerative farming to people, animals, and the Earth. It discusses a broad range of issues related to current farming practices—climate change, animal mistreatment, predatory markets—and offers transformative solutions for policymakers and practitioners.
14. Setting a Place for Us: Recipes and Stories of Displacement, Resilience, and Community from Eight Countries Impacted by War by Hawa Hassan
Somali refugee and James Beard Award-winning author Hawa Hassan highlights the culinary resilience and ingenuity of eight countries who have faced, or are facing, major geopolitical conflict. With recipes contextualized by informative essays on culture and history, Hassan challenges genre as well as the oft-reductive dominant narrative surrounding humans in conflict.
15. Silvohorticulture: A Grower’s Guide to Integrating Trees into Crops by Ben Raskin and Andy Dibben
Agroforestry can provide a range of benefits to a farm or garden, including improved soil, pest and nutrient management, biodiversity, and optimized yields. Raskin and Dibben lend decades of experience and the latest scientific research to this practical guide to successfully incorporating forestry into your growing space.
16. Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick by Murray Carpenter
Sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the greatest contributors to diet related illnesses including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In Sweet and Deadly, Carpenter looks at the Coca-Cola corporation’s efforts to hide the health risks of these products from eaters, drawing comparisons to strategies used to promote products from tobacco to opioids and highlighting the consequences this has had on public health.
17. The Apple: A Delicious History by Sally Coulthard
Apples have been documented for over 10,000 years, with more than 7,500 varieties in the world today—yet, only a few species are available in modern supermarkets. Speckled with recipes and stories, Sally Coulthard’s book traces the history of the apple in culture, cuisine, agriculture, mythology, and religion.
18. The Fishwife Cookbook: Delightful Tinned Fish Recipes for Every Occasion by Becca Millstein and Vilda Gonzalez
Tinned fish is undeniably having its moment, as an affordable indulgence in this time of soaring grocery prices. The Fishwife Cookbook, from the Fishwife tinned seafood company, compiles 80 simple-yet-flavorful recipes to up your fish game from trout tacos to mackerel udon and more.
19. The Kidney and the Cane: Planetary Health and Plantation Labor in Nicaragua by Alex M. Nading (Forthcoming May 2025)
With immense growth in Nicaragua’s sugarcane industry came immense sickness: high temperatures, water scarcity, and overuse of agrochemicals has led to death and disease of thousands of plantation workers. With an understanding of chronic kidney disease as a consequence of climate change, Alex M. Nading shines necessary light on the relationships between people and profit, climate and illness, and labor in the face of climate change.
20. The Quinoa Bust: The Making and Unmaking of an Andean Miracle Crop by Emma McDonell
Hailed as a sustainable development miracle by some, quinoa quickly made its way into the global pantry in recent decades—but not without unintended consequences. The Quinoa Bust explores the work that went into popularizing the ancient Andean grain and the new disasters that came with its popularity. As other “forgotten” or ancient foods are suggested as development opportunities, McDonell advises caution.
21. White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorous—in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World by Jack Lohmann
Phosphorus, particularly in the form of phosphate, plays an enormous role in agriculture as fertilizer. In this interdisciplinary exploration of the element, Jack Lohmann guides the reader through the history of the phosphorous fertilizer industry and its externalities. From mining to mummies, White Light details the human relationship with phosphorus and what that might mean for a sustainable farming future.
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