Robin Greenfield’s Recommended Book List
Robin Greenfield’s Recommended Book List
Books I Recommend
The following is a list of books that I recommend. I have personally read most of them and they have all served me well. The few that I have not read are on the top of my reading list and have come to me with very strong recommendations. Many of these books have made significant impacts in my life. In fact, I’m not sure exactly who I would be had I not read these books. Through the knowledge in these books – thanks to the many dedicated humans who wrote them – I have gained much of the knowledge, skills and inspiration I’ve needed to break free from societal norms that no longer served me. My life is an experiment with truth and integrity and these books have been invaluable tools in this experiment.
I am asked for book recommendations quite frequently and I am elated to have compiled this substantial list for you. There are many more books that I would like to recommend, but I am restraining myself. First, in order to provide you primarily with books that I have personal experience with, and secondly, recommendations that I feel with great certainty are most likely to serve you well.
My Top 30 Recommended Books
I have marked about 30 books with an asterisk ( * ). These books exist not solely as individuals, but together as a group. This grouping is designed to introduce you to numerous topics that are most important to me. Together they create the foundation of a deeper understanding of our oppressive, exploitative systems and dominator culture. Together they share a big picture for a different way forward. Together they serve as a tool for liberation of Earth, humanity and our plant and animal relatives – and of your own mind. Together they share many solutions and strategies for moving forward in human harmony.
There could easily be hundreds of books on this list. I certainly am an advocate for reading hundreds of books in our lifetimes. However, my strategy in this grouping is to provide you – with your limited time and resources – a list of books where if you read all of them, you have the potential to deeply understand the truth that I am attempting to illuminate. You have the potential to find a deep understanding of a way forward and knowledge of the tools and skills to do so.
The Top Books that Influenced Me
I have marked some books with a caret ( ^ ) or ( ^^ ). This is a selection of books that have had a substantial impact on me and have influenced my life. Books marked with a ^^ are books that I read much later in my mission (after 2017). Books with a ^ are books that I read very early on in my awakening that made a substantial impact on me early on (~2011-2014). Some of those are less relevant to me today.
A Few Notes
Categories – I have created a handful of categories to help you find the books with content you may be seeking right now. Many of these books fit into more than one of the categories that I have created. With only a few exceptions, I have kept each book to one category. There are many other categories I would have liked to include, but I have kept it to the categories that most people who come to this page are likely to be seeking.
Limited number of books – Note that there are dozens of books that I have on my list to read and hundreds that I’d like to read. Many of them could easily be on this list. I will continue to add more books to the list in the years ahead.
There are three independent publishers that I also would like to recommend:
New Society Publishers, Chelsea Green Publishing and Milkweed Editions.
New Society is an activist, solutions-oriented publisher focused on bringing you tools for a world of change. They are creating a new society with the resources they publish and the way they do business. Chelsea Green publishes books about organic farming, gardening, homesteading, integrative health, natural building, sustainable living, socially responsible business, and more. Milkweed Editions mission is to identify, nurture and publish transformative literature, and build an engaged community around it.
Sustainable Living, Simple Living & Environment
The Story of Stuff*^^ – Annie Leonard
The Intersectional Environmentalist^^ – Leah Thomas
Project Drawdown* by Paul Hawken
Fibershed* – Rebecca Burgess
Garbage Land – Elizabeth Royte
Life Without Plastic – Chantal Plamondon and Jay Sinha
Let My People Go Surfing^ and The Responsible Company^ – Yvon Chouinard
The Moneyless Man^, The Moneyless Manifesto*^ and Drinking Molotov Cocktails with Gandhi*^ – Mark Boyle
The Humanure Handbook* – Joseph Jenkins
Tools for Grassroots Activists – Gallagher & Myers / Patagonia
Oneness Vs the 1%* and Staying Alive – Vandana Shiva
Food Education
The Omnivore’s Dilemma*^, Food Rules, In Defense of Food and others by – Michael Pollan*
Fast Food Nation*^^ – Eric Schlosser
Wild Fermentation*^^ – Sandor Katz and other books by Sandor
Nourishing Traditions – Sally Fallon
Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Waste Scandal – Tristram Stuart
Animal, Vegetable Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs* – Rosemary Gladstar
Growing Food and Gardening
Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land*^^ – Leah Penniman
Gaia’s Garden* – Toby Hemenway
Paradise Lot* – Eric Toensmeier
Perennial Vegetables – Eric Toensmeier
Foraging
The Forager’s Harvest*^^ – Samuel Thayer
Nature’s Garden*^^ – Samuel Thayer
Incredible Wild Edibles*^^ – Samuel Thayer
Samuel Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America – Samuel Thayer
See my Foraging Resource Page for more book recommendations.
Mindful Living and Communication
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life*^^ – Marshall Rosenberg
The Miracle of Mindfulness*, The Art of Communication*, Love Letter to the Earth, The World We Have, How to Sit, How to Love, How to Relax, True Love and others by – Thich Nhat Hanh
The Joy of Living: Unlocking The Secret and Science of Happiness^ – Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
The Art of Happiness^ – H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler and other books by The Dalai Lama
Elegant Simplicity – Satish Kumar
Heal Your Living – Youheum Son
Native American Sovereignty, Equity and Justice
All of these books are written by Native American authors unless noted with a ~
Braiding Sweetgrass*^^ – Robin Wall Kimmerer
An Indigenous People’s History of the United States*^^ – Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask* – Anton Treur
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – Dee Brown
The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen – Sean Sherman
The Intersectional Environmentalist*^^ – Leah Thomas – This is a powerful manual for supporting BIPOC initiatives~
Louise Erdich, author and her bookstore, Birchbark Books
Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming –Winona LaDuke and more books by Winona
See more books written by Native Americans here
Black Liberation, Equity and Justice
All of these books are written by Black authors unless noted with a ~
Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists*^^ – Leah Penniman
The New Jim Crow*^^ – Michelle Alexander
Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land*^^ – Leah Penniman
A Black Woman’s History of the United States*^^ – Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross
The Intersectional Environmentalist*^^ – Leah Thomas
So You Want to Talk About Race*^^ – Ijeoma Oluo
How to Be Anti-Racist*^^ – Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility*^^ – Robin Diangelo~
Just Mercy^^ – Brian Stevenson
Why We Can’t Wait and The Radical King – Martin Luther King Jr.
Freedom is a Constant Struggle – Angela Y. Davis
See more books on Black Liberation here
More
Books I Recommend (that Transformed My Life) – Here I share the books that I read early in my awakening that served to transform my life, along with a few remarks on how the book impacted my life.
How to Change Your Mind* – Michael Pollan
This Changes Everything – Naomi Klein
Born to Run^ – Christopher McDougall
The Secret History of the US American Empire^ – John Perkins
Sex at Dawn – Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha
Charles Eisenstein – Sacred Economics*, The Ascent of Humanity and The More Beautiful World Our Heart Knows is Possible
The Man Who Quit Money – Mark Sundeen about Daniel Suelo
Honeybee Democracy – Thomas Seeley
A People’s History of the United States – Howard Zinn
Resources for Education and Inspiration:
Robin Greenfield’s Book Recommendations
50+ People to Listen to and Learn from
Films that Changed My Life
Nonprofits I Recommend and Support
Social Media Pages I Recommend to Follow
YouTube Channels I Recommend to Watch
Black Liberation Resources
Indigenous Sovereignty Resources
This page was created on 3/6/2016 and was last updated 12/08/2023.
Recent Reading
2025
Upcoming reads: Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World – Paul Stamets, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace – Vandana Shiva, Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming – Winona LaDuke, The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-And How We Can Make It Better – Annie Leonard, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy – Joanna Macy, Wendell Berry, Honor Thy Label: Dr. Bronner’s Unconventional Journey to a Clean, Green, and Ethical Supply Chain – Gero Leson.
• Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types – David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates (partial)
• What Type Am I? Discover Who You Really Are – Renee Baron (partial)
• The Essential Enneagram: The Definitive Personality Test and Self-Discovery Guide – David Daniels and Virginia Price (partial)
• Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World – Paul Hawken*
• Silent Spring – Rachel Carson
• The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World – Michael Pollan
• Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness – Orgyen Chowang
• Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest – Suzanne Simard
• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships – Marshall Rosenberg (read for the seventh time)
• The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times – Jane Goodall
• Walking – Henry David Thoreau
• The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World – Robin Wall Kimmerer
• What the Buddha Taught – Walpola Rahula Thero
• Letters from the Dhamma Brothers: Meditation Behind Bars – Jenny Phillips
• Civil Disobedience – Henry David Thoreau
• The Salt Thief: Gandhi’s Heroic March to Freedom – Neal Bascomb
2024
• The Art of Living Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S. N. Goenka (audiobook)
• What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World – Jon Young
• Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy – Sadhguru (audiobook)
• The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers – Maxwell King (audiobook)
• Collaborating in the Workplace: A Guide for Building Better Teams – Ike Lasater with Julie Stiles (recommended to me through NVC)
• The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods – Julia Butterfly Hill (partial)
• Speak Peace in a World of Conflict: What You Say Next Will Change Your World – Marshall B. Rosenberg
• Love, Service, Devotion, and the Ultimate Surrender: Ram Dass on The Bhagavad Gita –
Ram Dass (audiobook)
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari (audiobook) (partial)
• Becoming Nobody – Ram Dass (audiobook)
• Experiments in Truth – Ram Dass (audiobook)
• Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses – Robin Wall Kimmerer (audiobook)
• The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection – Michael A. Singer (audiobook)
• The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World – Peter Wohlleben (audiobook)
• The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu – translated by Witter Bynner (partial)
• Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words – Peace Pilgrim
• Steps Toward Inner Peace: Harmonious Principles for Human Living – Peace Pilgrim
• We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto – Alice Waters
• Seed Sovereignty, Food Security: Women in the Vanguard of the Fight against GMOs and Corporate Agriculture – Vandana Shiva (partial)
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use – Rosemary Gladstar
• The Story of My Experiments with Truth: An Autobiography – Mahatma Gandhi^
• The Words of Gandhi – Mahatma Gandhi
• Be Here Now – Ram Dass (partial)
2023
• How to Love – Thich Nhat Hanh
• How to Relax – Thich Nhat Hanh
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander^
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Challenge for Africa – Wangari Maathai
• Mandela’s Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage – Richard Stengel
• His Essential Wisdom – The Dalai Lama
• Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists – Leah Penniman
• Ojibway Heritage – Basil Johnston
• How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence – Michael Pollan^
• Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: of Eastern and Central North America – Samuel Thayer (partial)
• Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land – Leah Penniman
• Walking – Henry David Thoreau
• The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen – Sean Sherman (partial)
2020-2022
• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships – Marshall B. Rosenberg
• Decolonizing Non-violent Communication – Meenadchi
• How to Be AntiRacist – Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism – Dr. Robin DiAngelo
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
• So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
• A Black Women’s History of the United States – Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross
• Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement – Angela Y. Davis
• The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
• The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet – Leah Thomas
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Peace Standards: Standing Rock – Lindsey Lou
• History of the Ojibway People – William Whipple Warren
(partial)
• Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present – Adrienne Keene (partial)
• Seventh Generation Earth Ethics: Native Voices of Wisconsin – Patty Loew
• Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians But Were Afraid to Ask – Anton Treuer (partial)
• The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods – Tashia Marie Hart (partial)
• Winona LaDuke
• Louise Erdich
• Incredible Wild Edibles – Samuel Thayer
• The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants – Samuel Thayer
• Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants – Samuel Thayer
• Fermentation as Metaphor – Sandor Ellix Katz
• The Zero-Waste Chef: Plant-Forward Recipes and Tips for a Sustainable Kitchen and Planet: A Cookbook – Anne-Marie Bonneau (skimmed)
• Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal – Eric Schlosser
• Elegant Simplicity: The Art of Living Well – Satish Kumar
• Heal Your Living : The Joy of Mindfulness, Sustainability, Minimalism, and Wellness – Youheum Son
• Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life – Thich Nhat Hanh