100 Books Like Thirst for Power

I’m an energy researcher and energy industry strategist who has worked in academia, government, and the private sector for almost fifty years. I became fascinated with the importance of energy in planetary sustainability as an undergraduate engineering student in the 1970s and have been working in the field ever since. I’ve been fortunate to see how the energy system works from the standpoint of academic researchers, private companies, regulators, Wall Street, consumers, and government policymakers, and this gives me a broad perspective.

I’m an energy researcher and energy industry strategist who has worked in academia, government, and the private sector for almost fifty years. I became fascinated with the importance of energy in planetary sustainability as an undergraduate engineering student in the 1970s and have been working in the field ever since. I’ve been fortunate to see how the energy system works from the standpoint of academic researchers, private companies, regulators, Wall Street, consumers, and government policymakers, and this gives me a broad perspective.

I’m an energy researcher and energy industry strategist who has worked in academia, government, and the private sector for almost fifty years. I became fascinated with the importance of energy in planetary sustainability as an undergraduate engineering student in the 1970s and have been working in the field ever since. I’ve been fortunate to see how the energy system works from the standpoint of academic researchers, private companies, regulators, Wall Street, consumers, and government policymakers, and this gives me a broad perspective.

I’m an energy researcher and energy industry strategist who has worked in academia, government, and the private sector for almost fifty years. I became fascinated with the importance of energy in planetary sustainability as an undergraduate engineering student in the 1970s and have been working in the field ever since. I’ve been fortunate to see how the energy system works from the standpoint of academic researchers, private companies, regulators, Wall Street, consumers, and government policymakers, and this gives me a broad perspective.

History is my passion as well as my profession. I love a good story! When I was teaching courses in environmental history and women’s history, I kept noticing the intriguing intersections, which inspired me to write Beyond Nature’s Housekeepers. Most of my work focuses on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (1877-1920) and includes two award-winning biographies, Fighting Bob La Follette and Belle La Follette Progressive Era Reformer. I’m also the co-editor of A Companion to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era and have written dozens of op-eds and give public talks (some of which can be found in the C-SPAN online library and on YouTube). 

I consider myself a topologist of story, ever fascinated by the shapes stories take, and how those underlying forms—as much as their specific content—guide our reactions and our emotions. In a social-media-saturated age, it’s more important than ever that we practice the skills of comprehending story landscapes so that we can understand who benefits from them—and who doesn’t. Ditch the GPS: whether memoir, reportage, or fiction, these books showcase some of the map-and-compass skills we all need to navigate a complicated new era.

I have lived in Florida since 1969, attended public school here, and received my Master’s degree from a state college. My husband, Bob Randall, a photographer and an entrepreneur, and I have written six nonfiction books about Florida. An Ocklawaha River Odyssey is our favorite. Kayaking the 56 miles of winding waterways became less of a research expedition and more of a spiritual journey as the ancient river cast its spell on us. From wildlife, including manatees and monkeys, to wild orchids and pickerelweed, the Ocklawaha provides more than exercise and recreation; it also touches your soul. I hope my writing and Bob’s photography provide that experience for our readers.

Andreas Bieler’s main research focus has been on the possibilities of labour movements, broadly defined, to represent the interests of their members and wider societies in struggles against capitalist exploitation in times of neo-liberal globalisation. His research on water struggles in Europe was motivated by the fact that this has been one of the few areas, in which resistance has actually been successful. Understanding the reasons behind this success may help us understand what is necessary for success in other areas of resistance. 

Andreas Bieler’s main research focus has been on the possibilities of labour movements, broadly defined, to represent the interests of their members and wider societies in struggles against capitalist exploitation in times of neo-liberal globalisation. His research on water struggles in Europe was motivated by the fact that this has been one of the few areas, in which resistance has actually been successful. Understanding the reasons behind this success may help us understand what is necessary for success in other areas of resistance. 

I grew up in Ohio, just south of the Great Lakes. As a kid, I spent time on the Lakes fishing with my dad. I’ve been fascinated with these freshwater seas and their ecological richness ever since. My love for the Lakes eventually merged with my passion for early American history when I attended graduate school at Notre Dame. There, I began researching how Native peoples understood and utilized the unique geography of the Lakes. That work grew into my first book, Muddy Ground, and I anticipate the rest of my career as a historian will be dedicated to studying the environmental and human history of the Great Lakes region.