Dinner table debates are a staple of the season and this year’s Fellows’ reading list offers plenty of food for thought.
Whatever the topic, set the table with an exploration of the empowering but little-taught art of being wrong or the importance of approaching public discussions with an open mind.
Pepper conversations with historical tidbits as you venture back in time to uncover the forces that shaped the present state of the world’s ocean environments and the US Constitution, or treat yourself with richly imagined futures, new and old, that speak to our anxieties.
Whatever your tastes, our Fellows’ book and podcast recommendations will have something for everyone.
See the 2024 Fellows’ reading and listening list
A selection of recommendations
Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
Kathryn Schulz
Recommended by Professor Kylie Catchpole FAA FTSE
This is a delightful exploration of being wrong (an essential skill for a scientist, but seldom taught). It is empowering to discover that most people have been wrong about many things throughout history; the corollary is that most people probably are still. I almost bought this book some 15 years ago – if I had, I would have enjoyed being wrong for much longer.
Deep Water
James Bradley
Recommended by Professor David Lindenmayer AO FAA
A deeply intellectual foray into the many aspects of the world’s ocean environments with a ‘deep dive’ into topics such as the impacts of shipping and its connections to slavery and European colonisation.
The Forever War
Nick Bryant
Recommended by Emeritus Professor Jeremy Mould FAA
The US constitution was a war document and intentionally anti-democratic. As we know, constitutions are very hard to change if an organised group opposes change.
Also recommended by Professor Robyn Williams AO FAA
Astonishing and explains all.
The Dispossessed
Ursula K. Le Guin
Recommended by Emeritus Professor Barbara Nowak FAA
While this book was published 50 years ago, it still remains highly relevant. It is not just an intriguing science fiction story about two worlds run by two different political systems, but also offers some insights about scientists and their engagements in activism. As a scientist who grew up in a communist system but for most of their life lived in Western democracy, I found this book particularly appealing and interesting.
Juice
Tim Winton
Recommended by Emeritus Professor David Blair FAA
Tim Winton’s first sci-fi novel about climate change, set in the landscape of Ningaloo, Exmouth, Western Australia. If you saw his recent ABC documentary about Ningaloo, this book transports you to that amazing place. Not today, but the apocalyptic world of the 23rd century AD, a lament about the future, blamed on today’s greedy oligarchs.
Also recommended by Professor Michael Kearney FAA
This ‘cli-fi’ saga is not a light read, but an important and engaging one. It was described by the author as: “A novel about a bloke in a hole telling stories while he still can.” Winton has thought deeply about how the future could look if we fail to get our act together now and he has built a thoughtful thriller around this bleak scenario. I found myself reaching for the dictionary quite often with this one!
Also recommended by Professor Fiona Stanley AC FAA FAHMS(Hon) FASSA
This book by outstanding WA author Winton is essential reading for any of us concerned about climate change. Known for his environmental activism, this book is set vaguely near the Ningaloo coast; it describes a very scary future in a country destroyed by the fossil fuel companies. The social, environmental and climate circumstances described dictate how our ‘hero’ lives and tries to survive.
Also recommended by Professor Barry Jones AC FAA FTSE FAHA FASSA
‘Juice’ is a long (513 pages), complex, but beautifully written, dystopian novel, set in Western Australia
perhaps two centuries hence, when climate has changed how people live, working outside is almost
impossible and there is a significant return to Plato’s cave. But it is not all depressive and Winton emphasises
survival techniques, adaptability and finding values. ‘Juice’, by the way, is both oil and human energy.
Previous recommendations
Want to know what else might be on the menu? See what our Fellows recommended in:
