America's Wild Read

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About Us

America’s Wild Read is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Library's virtual, quarterly book club where we aim to inspire you to connect with the outdoors and nature through conservation literature. We hope you will read along with us as we feature various conservation books every quarter — contemporary, traditional, new, and classic.

Our book selections may include titles about the history of conservation, climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change , a species and the challenges it faces, or books that impart how we can be better stewards of the natural world. In the past we've featured books like Braiding Sweetgrass, The Home Place and Silent Spring. 

Our book discussions are open to anyone who likes to read, wants to learn more about conservation, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) employees and the public. Everyone is welcome! Even if you have not read or finished the book selection yet, please join us for these informal conversations about conservation literature, where we reflect on the text, answer discussion questions, and foster connections with one another.

Get Involved 

We encourage you to grow in your knowledge of conservation as you read these Wild Read titles because we all have a responsibility to nature and to steward our natural resources, plants, lands, and animals. Read along with us each season and learn from our selected titles of conservation literature. Stay up to date on Wild Read news here to see book announcements, discussion questions, and book discussion events.

Each quarter we host a book discussion, online via Zoom, open to Service employees and the public, you don't have to have read the book to participate in these discussions, everyone is welcome. It is an informal book club-like atmosphere where we reflect on the reading, answer discussion questions, and enjoy some time together through a conversation on conservation literature. We hope you join us and share your thoughts and perspectives from the reading.

If you'd like to participate in our book club and join our Wild Read Community, email catherine_blalack@fws.gov.  

What We're Reading  

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This fall the USFWS Library invites you to read along with us. America's Wild Read is featuring Return of the Bison: A Story of Survival, Restoration, and a Wilder World by Roger Di Silvestro. 

Return of the Bison isan excellent biography of America's most iconic mammal. Millions of bison once roamed North America and their history is deeply intertwined with many Indigenous communities. They were integral to Indigenous Peoples, providing meat for food, hides and fur for clothing and shelter, other parts for tools, and still hold great significance today. With westward expansion of European settlers during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, bison were hunted to near extinction: hunted for subsistence, commercial sale of meat and hides, simply for sport, and other more complex reasons. If it weren't for the work of Tribes, states, and the Department of the Interior, the bison wouldn't be here today. Although they're back from the brink and the security of the species is a conservation success worth celebrating, there remains an ongoing struggle for their recovery. 

Join us to learn more about this symbol of our American identity and one of the greatest conservation success stories of all time. 

If you are an FWS employee, you can access an eBook, or audiobook version of Return of the Bison through our Libby Library. For more instructions, see the Libby Library Guide. FWS employees may also email catherine_blalack@fws.gov to borrow a print copy as available. For the general public, Return of the Bison can be found at your local library or bookstore. 

We hope you join us for the online book discussion of Return of the Bison on Thursday, November 7^th at 3 PM ET. Please register in advance.  The Wild Read book club meetings are a place where the readers reflect on the reading, answer discussion questions, and connect through a conversation on conservation literature.

Our Wild Read Picks 

At the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Library, we try to pick fun and engaging titles that will expand our knowledge of conservation and nature. So far in 2024, we have read An Immense World and met with author Ed Yong to discuss the extraordinary sensory worlds of other animals. We've also read Tenacious Beasts by Christopher Preston, an inspiring story of strong-willed and adaptable animals and their recoveries, we've learned all the fun facts about oak trees, from Doug Tallamy's The Nature of Oaks, and how they are champions in the plant kingdom. Click the buttons below to view the full list of our previous book selections, and more information on our book selection process. 

Previous Book Selections    Selection Process