Summer reading
Michelle Nijhuis’ Beloved Beasts
Please plan on reading Nijhuis’ book before you arrive on campus in August. It will serve as a cornerstone to a series of activities in Autumn Term and events throughout the academic year.
We are excited to announce that the summer reading for this year will be the award-winning book by Michelle Nijhuis, Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction, a history of the conservation movement in the U.S. that follows the personal stories of selected activists who championed the survival of endangered species. Weaving together the personal narratives of the professional and amateur scientists who shaped the modern conservation movement, Nijhuis demonstrates how history, politics, and human foibles complicate scientific endeavors. The book has garnered numerous awards and accolades, including a Rachel Carson Award from the Sierra Club and “Best Book of 2021” awards from the Chicago Tribune, Smithsonian Magazine, and others. In addition, it was selected by the E.O. Wilson Foundation as an “All Time Favorite Read.”
Thanks to the generosity of the Class of 1968, you will be able to meet Michelle Nijhuis in person when she visits our campus on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Our plans include a plenary address for all first-year students in Human Experience and a public address for the whole community later the same evening. Her presentations will formally inaugurate the College Program Series (CPS) theme for the 2025-2026 academic year, “Science, Stories, and Truth.” Throughout the year, we will look forward to numerous CPS events centered around this theme, as we explore the intersections between science and our social world.
