Here are 100 books that The Orphan Tsunami of 1700 fans have personally recommended if you like
The Orphan Tsunami of 1700.
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I have always been fascinated by natural history and dreamed of becoming a paleontologist—until I took my first Japanese language class in college and got “hooked” on that. Eventually, I wound up with a doctorate in Japanese history and spent 30 years teaching at a university in Tokyo. At first, most of my research was on Japanese foreign relations. But I retained a strong interest in science and the environment. After a while, I realized that I could combine that with my love of history and that the result could be relevant to contemporary environmental problems. Serendipity at work! Currently, I’m editing a second book on Japanese environmental history, this one focusing on historical climate change.
There are many other books about the Japanese “triple disaster” (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown) of 2011, but none that engages so closely and with such resonance on the human element.
The author’s interviews with survivors allowed him to reconstruct events up to and beyond the devastation of Ishimaki City. Most poignant was the fate of students and teachers at Ogawa Elementary School, who drowned following mistaken advice to stay put in the face of the oncoming tsunami.
In places, the account was so painful it left me with tears in my eyes. Read it to learn from the tragedy and to honor those whose lives were lost as well as those who survived against all odds.
'The definitive book on the quake which killed more than 15,000 people.' Mail Online 'You will not read a finer work of narrative non-fiction this year.' Economist 'A breathtaking, extraordinary work of non-fiction.' Times Literary Supplement 'A future classic of disaster journalism.' Observer
On 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of north-east Japan. By the time the sea retreated, more than 18,500 people had been crushed, burned to death, or drowned.
It was Japan's greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It…
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
I have always been fascinated by natural history and dreamed of becoming a paleontologist—until I took my first Japanese language class in college and got “hooked” on that. Eventually, I wound up with a doctorate in Japanese history and spent 30 years teaching at a university in Tokyo. At first, most of my research was on Japanese foreign relations. But I retained a strong interest in science and the environment. After a while, I realized that I could combine that with my love of history and that the result could be relevant to contemporary environmental problems. Serendipity at work! Currently, I’m editing a second book on Japanese environmental history, this one focusing on historical climate change.
It tells the story of one of Japan’s worst manmade environmental disasters. The author documents the suffering of victims of mercury poisoning caused by consuming seafood tainted by industrial waste. The lyrical descriptions of people and place contrast starkly with the sheer horror of the events being depicted.
There are other books on Minamata disease, but this one—part oral history and part “new journalism”—hits closest to home. I couldn’t stop reading it.
In the early 1950s, numerous cases of organic mercury poisoning were discovered in the fishing villages around Minamata, Japan. Yet for decades after, victims of what is now known as Minamata disease suffered neglect, discrimination, and ostracism by Minamata residents, local government, labor unions, Minamata disease certification committees, and fishers' cooperatives. Fifty years later, renewed efforts began to conserve the environment and reconcile with victims of poisoning, including a flurry of museum-building, citizen waste recycling campaigns, and conferences, symposia, and exhibitions. But this rapprochement in the 1990s took place slowly and with difficulty, as the pain of previous decades was…
I have always been fascinated by natural history and dreamed of becoming a paleontologist—until I took my first Japanese language class in college and got “hooked” on that. Eventually, I wound up with a doctorate in Japanese history and spent 30 years teaching at a university in Tokyo. At first, most of my research was on Japanese foreign relations. But I retained a strong interest in science and the environment. After a while, I realized that I could combine that with my love of history and that the result could be relevant to contemporary environmental problems. Serendipity at work! Currently, I’m editing a second book on Japanese environmental history, this one focusing on historical climate change.
I grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and developed a love of nature at an early age.
I always found it sad that timber wolves had been hunted to extinction in the region. (Thankfully, they have made a comeback in recent years.) Later, as a historian, I was fascinated to learn that wolves had similarly been driven extinct in the Japanese islands.
This book is the definitive account of how that happened. Yes, it’s an academic work written by a professor, but it is also extremely well written and tells a clear story that anyone interested in human impact on the natural world should take to heart. Unlike wolves in the Pacific Northwest, those in Japan are never coming back (unless they are cloned).
Many Japanese once revered the wolf as Oguchi no Magami, or Large-Mouthed Pure God, but as Japan began its modern transformation wolves lost their otherworldly status and became noxious animals that needed to be killed. By 1905 they had disappeared from the country. In this spirited and absorbing narrative, Brett Walker takes a deep look at the scientific, cultural, and environmental dimensions of wolf extinction in Japan and tracks changing attitudes toward nature through Japan's long history.
Grain farmers once worshiped wolves at shrines and left food offerings near their dens, beseeching the elusive canine to protect their crops from…
LOT 16 WAS NEVER TO BE SOLD. Generations pass and the estate’s directive is overturned.
Situated on a grassy hilltop overlooking a lake and wildlife preserve, the 30-acre parcel is perfect for Nora and Dex. They’ll escape their city’s rising crime, build a home with an amazing view, work remotely,…
I have always been fascinated by natural history and dreamed of becoming a paleontologist—until I took my first Japanese language class in college and got “hooked” on that. Eventually, I wound up with a doctorate in Japanese history and spent 30 years teaching at a university in Tokyo. At first, most of my research was on Japanese foreign relations. But I retained a strong interest in science and the environment. After a while, I realized that I could combine that with my love of history and that the result could be relevant to contemporary environmental problems. Serendipity at work! Currently, I’m editing a second book on Japanese environmental history, this one focusing on historical climate change.
This book was utterly sui generis when it was published in 1989; with it, Totman singlehandedly created the field of Japanese environmental history.
It also had a huge impact on me personally, showing me how I could combine my interest in environmental issues with my research as a historian. The book’s basic argument is that with such a dense population, Japan today should be an environmental wasteland, but it is instead a beautiful, verdant country thanks to sustainable resource use over many centuries.
Totman focuses specifically on silviculture (forest management) during the Edo period (1600–1867). Viewed in retrospect, his argument is a little oversimplified, but the book remains a must-read for anyone interested in Japan’s environmental history.
This inaugural volume in the Ohio University Press Series in Ecology and History is the paperback edition of Conrad Totman's widely acclaimed study of Japan's environmental policies over the centuries. Professor Totman raises the critical question of how Japan's steeply mountainous woodland has remained biologically healthy despite centuries of intensive exploitation by a dense human population that has always been dependent on wood and other forest products. Mindful that in global terms this has been a rare outcome, and one that bears directly on Japan's recent experience as an affluent, industrial society, Totman examines the causes, forms, and effects of…
The natural world has been my solace and passion for my entire life. I also suffer from an insatiable curiosity as to how it came to be. While I am fascinated by natural history, my deficient math and analytical skills precluded a career in science, and so I turned to environmental history to explore how humans and nature have interacted over time.
This short book completely changed how I think about nature and our place in it. This book provides a new framework for thinking about how modern Americans might be able to work with the natural world instead of against it. I also loved the concise but thought-provoking insights that Richard White provides.
The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affordable works on pivotal topics in American history, society, and politics.
In this pioneering study, White explores the relationship between the natural history of the Columbia River and the human history of the Pacific Northwest for both whites and Native Americans. He concentrates on what brings humans and the river together: not only the physical space of the region but also, and primarily, energy and work. For working with the river has been central to Pacific Northwesterners' competing ways of life. It is in this way that White comes to view the…
I’ve been a labor union attorney and lifelong historical researcher drawn to the 1900s Progressive Era because of the parallels between that time and today. To write Unseen, I read over 100 books and articles about Indian life ways, reservations, boarding schools, and federal policy. Many sources are firsthand accounts written by Indians and ethnologists whom Indians deem credible. Whenever fact or opinion conflicted, I deferred to the Indian account. Pre-Columbus, Indians totaled 5 million. By the 1900 census, fewer than 250,000 survived. My research yielded a history that was both horrific and inspiring. I concluded that there is much to learn from these First Peoples.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and yet knew little about the variety and value of its native peoples. I found this book to be a moving and compassionate telling of how white settlement impacted Pacific Northwest Indians. It is also uplifting because it details how a present-day tribe embraced self-determination while manifesting their strong environmental values.
Deloria draws the connection between the universally held Indian respect for the earth and its creatures and the emergence of the nation’s tribes as leaders of the environmental restoration movement. It is a movement that has become particularly strong and effective in my region.
Prior to the onslaught of the Europeans, the Puget Sound area was one of the most heavily populated regions north of Mexico City. The Native Americans who lived there enjoyed a bounty of seafood, waterfowl, and berries, which they expertly collected and preserved. Detailing the associated culture, technologies, and techniques, Vine Deloria Jr. explains in depth this veritable paradise and its ultimate demise.
Raising the possibility that the utopian lifestyle enjoyed by the Indians of the Pacific Northwest might have continued in perpetuity had Europeans not sought a Northwest Passage. Deloria describes in devastating detail the ramifications of the Europeans'…
Think how tough it is to reach adulthood in today's complicated world. Now imagine doing so in front of a global audience. That's what growing up in show business is like. Every youthful mistake laid bare for all to see. Malefactors looking to ensnare the naive at any turn. Each…
As an award-winning author of nonfiction books for kids, I’m passionate about discovering titles by other authors that introduce a topic innovatively and engagingly. I obtained a B.S. in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology, from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I received the 2023 Stephen Fraser Encouragement Award and a 2023 finalist for the Russel Freedman Award. I feel that it’s important to plant seeds of curiosity and encourage children to look at the world around them through a different lens. I love reading books that present complicated ideas in a way that young readers (and adults!) can understand.
This book took hold of my heart and has yet to let go. I was immediately sucked in with the engaging narrative, which was thoughtfully blended with facts to highlight the current crisis surrounding the population of Southern Resident orcas of the Pacific Northwest.
I felt like I was getting to know each of the featured orcas personally, which made me care about their struggles even more. This book is perfect for orca lovers and anyone interested in marine science.
Meet the playful and beloved Southern Resident orcas and the people working to save them from extinction using tactics that vary from medicine and laws to drones and dogs
The endangered Southern Resident orcas whistle and click their way around the waters of the Pacific Northwest in three small family groups while facing boat noise, pollution, and scarce food. Superpod introduces young readers to the experts who are training scat-sniffing dogs, inventing ways to treat sick orcas, quieting the waters, studying whales from the air, and speaking out. Author Nora Nickum also discusses her own work on laws to protect…
As a transplant to the west coast of North America, I’m always on the lookout for books that capture aspects of the history of this region and help me understand my new home. For me, the books on this list have shed light on different communities, worldviews, and a complicated past. Besides, I am a pushover for epic stories that span generations and geographies and teach me new ways of thinking and looking at the world.
Packed with detail about Victoria, Vancouver Island, and the Gold Rush days in British Columbia, I thought this book was engaging, epic, funny (wait until the camels appear—and the wake!), and a real page-turner. I swooned over the descriptions of the landscape and would go so far as to say the land and sea, so alive in this book, should be considered a character. I was so profoundly invested in the fates of Jim, Dora, and Eugene, that I almost missed how cunningly the novel took on gender, class, and race, illuminating so many of the contemporary issues dogging us here on the coast.
I’ve loved weird horror from a young age, and that passion only grew as the years went on. It all started when I was ten, and I got an anthology of classic horror for my birthday. Inside I read The White People by Machen, Cast the Runes by MR James, and The Colour Out of Space by Lovecraft, and I was hooked. Ever since then I chased that same thrill of the horror that is so out there and strange it just breaks your brain and changes you inside out. I have a feeling I’ll be chasing that obsession until the end of my days.
Where to even start with this super weird masterpiece? It’s like William Burroughs (Naked Lunch, etc.) and Billy Martin (Lost Souls, etc.) teamed up to write a vampire novel.
Hobo junkie vampires roam the highways and streets of America, a teeming group of young kids, strung out, hungry for blood. The writing is beautiful, impossible to put down, pure poetry. The content? Disturbing, dark, and delicious.
*National Book Foundation '5 Under 35' Award *NPR Best Books of 2010 *The Believer Book Award Finalist *Indie Bookseller's Choice Awards Finalist
"The book feels written in a fever; it is breathless, scary, and like nothing I've ever read before. Krilanovich's work will make you believe that new ways of storytelling are still emerging from the margins." ―NPR
A girl with drug-induced ESP and an eerie connection to Patty Reed (a young member of the Donner Party who credited her survival to her relationship with a hidden wooden doll), searches for her disappeared foster sister along “The Highway That Eats…
Katy: The Woman Who Signed the Declaration of Independence
by
Betty Bolté,
One woman, Mary Katharine Goddard, signed the Declaration of Independence and risked hanging by doing so.
She was supposed to marry and have children, living the ‘normal’ life of an 18th-century woman. Destiny said otherwise. Instead, at the behest of her impulsive brother, she moved from one colony to another,…
Steampunk has always been a fascinating genre to me, especially seeing how different creators play with historical elements. But the question that I’m always looking to answer is, “Why is this history different from our own?” What has allowed this alternate Victorian era to create fantastical technology? As I asked this question about my own steampunk books, I found great delight in how other authors have combined magic with their technology to create delightfully refreshing outcomes. I continue to search out these books as I am always surprised at their creativity and novelty.
How could I resist steampunk zombies? Every character in this book is unique and memorable, and I admire their grit and ingenuity as they navigate the dangerous environment they live in.
I found it very refreshing to have a book focused on the relationship between a middle-aged mother and her teenage son, and that it was her love for him that drove all her choices.
At the start of the Civil War, a Russian mining company commissions a great machine to pave the way from Seattle to Alaska and speed up the gold rush that is beating a path to the frozen north. Inventor Leviticus Blue creates the machine, but on its first test run it malfunctions, decimating Seattle's banking district and uncovering a vein of Blight Gas that turns everyone who breathes it into the living dead. Sixteen years later Briar, Blue's widow, lives in the poor neighborhood outside the wall that's been built around the uninhabitable city. Life is tough with a ruined…
