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 Next

In the new year, we're going to read A Woman Among Wolves by Diane K. Boyd, a debut memoir from one of the first women biologists in the United States to study wild wolves in their natural habitat—a story of passion, resilience, and determination. Email catherine_blalack@fws.gov to sign up for our Winter Read. If you'd like to get a head start on reading, visit your local library or bookstore. If you're a FWS employee, email us for a copy of the book. The book discussion for A Woman Among Wolves will be on Thursday, February 27 at 3pm ET. 

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 Return of the Bison by Roger Di Silvestro and learned about an iconic species of the American West with a complex comeback story. In the Summer we 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