Book Recommendations

We strongly encourage our students to read books related to their career interests. Below is a list of recommended titles.

Animal Behavior

• Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
• Reaching the Animal Mind by Karen Pryor
• Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin
• Learning by A. Charles Catania
• The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell
• The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World by Susan M. Schneider
• Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World’s Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers by Amy Sutherland
• Cumulative Record by B.F. Skinner
• Schedules of Reinforcement by B.F. Skinner
• About Behaviorism by B.F. Skinner
• The Science of Psychology: An Interbehavioral Survey by J.R. Kantor
• Applied Behavior Analysis by John O. Cooper, Timothy E. Heron, and William L. Heward
• Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin
• The Elephant’s Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa by Caitlin O’Connell
• The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior by Jane Goodall
• Domestic Animal Behavior for Veterinarians & Animal Scientists by Katherine A. Houpt
• The Psychobiology of Behavioral Development by Ronald Gandelman

Animal Forensics

• Animal Investigators: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species by Laurel A Neme, Ph.D.
• Veterinary Forensics: Animal Cruelty Investigations by Melinda D. Merck
• Animal Abuse and Unlawful Killing: Forensic Veterinary Pathology by Ranald Munro

Animal Emotion

• Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell
• The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy – and Why They Matter by Marc Bekoff Ph.D. and Jane Goodall (Forward)
• When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy 

Animal Welfare

• Animal Welfare edited by Michael C. Appleby, Joy A. Mench, I. Anna Olsson, and Barry O. Hughes
• Stress and Animal Welfare by D.M. Broom and K.G. Johnson
• Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin
• The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them by Wayne Pacelle
• The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A True Story of Resilience and Recovery by Andrew Westoll
• Stereotypic Animal Behaviour: Fundamentals and Applications to Welfare by Georgia Mason and Jeffery Rushen
• Understanding Animal Welfare: The Science in its Cultural Context by David Fraser

Conservation & Environmental Biology

• A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
• Rewilding the World: Dispatches From the Conservation Revolution by Caroline Fraser
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban America by David Baron
• The Big Conservation Lie by John Mbaria and Mordecai Ogada
• The Sense of Wonder: A Celebration of Nature for Parents and Children by Rachel Carson
• The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen
• Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau
• Nature's Allies: Eight Conservationists Who Changed Our World by Larry Nielsen
• The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery by Rebecca E. Hirsch 
• Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things by M.R. O'Connor

Canines and Wolves

• Man Meets Dog by Konrad Lorenz
• The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell
• The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People by James Serpell
• How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends by Mark Derr
• Origins of the Domestic Dog: The Fossil Record by Stanley J. Olsen
• The Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids edited by David W. Macdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
• The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone by Thomas McNamee
• Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation edited by L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani
• Wolves of Minong: Isle Royale’s Wild Community by Durward L. Allen

Evolutionary Biology

• How Evolution Shapes Our Lives: Essays on Biology and Society by Jonathan Losos and Richard Lenski
• Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution by Jonathan B. Losos
• How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut
• A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth by Samantha Weinberg
• Bully for Brontosaurus by Stephen Jay Gould
• Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo by Sean B. Carroll
• Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
• Evolution’s Workshop: God and Science on the Galapagos Islands by Edward J. Larson
• Stephen Jay Gould and the Politics of Evolution by David F. Prindle
• The Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson
• The Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man by Charles Lyell
• The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People by Tim F. Flannery
• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
• Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Biology by Neil Shubin

Genetics & Molecular Biology

• DNA: The Secret Life by James Watson with Andrew Berry
• The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson
• Controlling Human Heredity by Diane B. Paul
• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
• I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
• Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts by Emily Anthes

Herpetology 

• Michigan Turtles and Lizards: A Field Guide and Pocket Reference by James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman
• Michigan Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders: A Field Guide and Pocket Reference by James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman
• Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region Revised Edition by James H. Harding and David A. Mifsud 

Mammalogy

• Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America by Fiona Reid

Marine Biology

• Field Guide to Atlantic Seashore: From the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras (Peterson Field Guides) by Kenneth L. Gosner
• The Oceans by Sylvia A. Earle
• The World is Blue by Sylvia A. Earle
• The Lady and the Sharks by Eugenie Clark
• The Erotic Sea by Jack Rudloe
• Exploring the Deep Frontier: The Adventure of Man in the Sea by Sylvia A. Earle and Al Giddings
• Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks by Juliet Eilperin
• The Silent Deep: The Discovery, Ecology, and Conservation of the Deep Sea by Tony Koslow

Miscellaneous 

• The Evolution Underground: Burrows, Bunkers, and the Marvelous Subterranean World Beneath Our Feet by Anthony Martin
• Tall Blondes: A Book About Giraffes by Lynn Sherr
• Animal Weapons: The Evolution of Battle by Douglas J. Emlen and David J. Tuss 
• Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way it Does by Philip Ball

Nature

• Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
• The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age by Richard Louv

Neurobiology

• Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience edited by Jerry J.  Buccafusco
• The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, M.D.
• Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman

Ornithology

• The Birds of Tanglewood by Karle Wilson Baker
• My World of Birds: Memoirs of an Ornithologist by George John Wallace
• The Great Penguin Rescue: 40,000 Penguins, a Devastating Oil Spill, and the Inspiring Story of the World’s Largest Animal Rescue by Dyan deNapoli
• Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence – and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg
• The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots by Irene Pepperberg
• Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O’Brien 
• The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
• Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans by John M. Marzluff
• All About Birds: A Short Illustrated History of Ornithology by Valerie Chansigaud

Pharmacology

• How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
• Introduction to Behavioral Pharmacology Edited by Thomas Byrne, Ph.D. and Alan Poling, Ph.D.

Primatology

• In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall 
• Jane Goodall: 50 Years at Gombe by Jane Goodall
• Kanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
• Apes, Language, and the Human Mind by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Stuart G. Shanker 
• Theory of Bastards by Audrey Schulman 
• The Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist by Frans De Waal
• A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among Baboons by Robert M. Sapolsky
• The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A True Story of Resilience and Recovery by Andrew Westoll

Professional Development

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 

Studying & Learning

• A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even if You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley
• Sit and Get Won't Grow Dendrites: 20 Professional Learning Strategies that Engage the Adult Brain by Marcia Tate
• What the Best College Students Do by Ken Bain

Zoo Science and Captive Animal Biology

Zoo History and the Evolvement of the Modern Zoo

• Animals on Display: The Creaturely in Museums, Zoos, and Natural History edited by Liv Emma Thorsen, Karen A. Rader, & Adam Dodd
• The Ark & Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation by Ben Minteer & Jane Mainschein
• Zooland: The Institution of Captivity by Irus Braverman
• A Different Nature: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future by David Hancocks
• Savages and Beasts: The Birth of the Modern Zoo by Nigel Rothfels
• Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Zoological Gardens edited by Vernon N. Kisling, Jr.
• Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos by Elizabeth Hanson
• Animals in Captivity by P. Street
• The Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos: Past, Present, and Future by Vicki Croke
• American Zoo: A Soociological Safari by David Grazian

Zoo Ethics

• Zoos and Animal Rights by Stephen St. C. Bostock
• Ethics on the Ark (Zoo & Aquarium Biology & Conservation) edited by Bryan G. Norton, Michael Hutchins, Elizabeth F. Stevens, and Terry L. Maple 

Environmental Enrichment

• Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals edited by David J. Shepherdson, Jill D. Mellen, and Michael Hutchins
• Wild Animals in Captivity by Rob Laidlaw 

Zoo Veterinary Care

• Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with Animal Doctors by Philip T. Robinson
• The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: And other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and their Patients by Lucy H. Spelman & Ted Y. Mashima
• Zoo Tails by Oliver Graham-Jones 

Autobiographies

• Jungle Jack: My Wild Life by Jack Hanna
• You Belong in a Zoo!: Tales from a Lifetime Spent  with Cobras, Crocs, and Other Creatures by Peter Brazaitis

Textbooks

• Zookeeping: An Introduction to the Science and Technology Edited by Mark D. Irwin, John B. Stoner, and Aaron M. Cobaugh
• Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management, and Welfare by Geoff Hosey, Vicky Melfi, and Sheila Pankhurst
• An Introduction to Zoo Biology and Management by Paul A. Rees

Miscellaneous

• Zoos in the 21^st Century: Catalysts for Conservation? By Alexandra Zimmermann and Matthew Hatchwell
• Smiling Bears: A Zookeeper Explores the Behaviour and Emotional Life of Bears by Else Poulsen &  Stephen Herrero (Forward)
• Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence
• Sailing with Noah: Stories from the World of Zoos by Jeffrey P. Bonner
• Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French
• Man and Animal in the Zoo: Zoo Biology by Heini Hediger
• Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles and Techniques for Zoo Management 2^nd Edition by Devra G. Kleiman (Editor), Katerina V. Thompson (Editor) and Charlotte Kirk Baer (Editor)
• Ethics on the Ark: Zoo, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation by Bryan G. Norton (Editor), Michael Hutchins (Editor), Terry Maple (Editor) and Elizabeth Stevens (Editor)
• Professor in the Zoo: Designing the Future for Wildlife in Human Care by Terry L. Maple
• Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French

Zoonotic Diseases

• Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
• Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen
• The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary Careers

• Career Choices for Veterinarians: Beyond Private Practice by Carin A. Smith DVM
• Opportunities in Veterinary Medicine Careers by Robert Swope

Zoo Veterinary Care

• Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with Animal Doctors by Philip T. Robinson
• The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: And other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and their Patients by Lucy H. Spelman & Ted Y. Mashima
• Zoo Tails by Oliver Graham-Jones 

Miscellaneous

• All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• Domestic Animal Behavior for Veterinarians & Animal Scientists by Katherine A. Houpt
• All My Patients Kick and Bite: More Favorite Stories from a Vet's Practice by Jeff Wells, D.V.M.