3. Swift Dam by Sid Gustafson

“Underpinned by the lingering and harsh reminders of the Blackfeet Nation’s heroic, tragic, and vibrant past, Gustafson’s third novel chronicles the heartrending drama of the Blackfeet people. Swift Dam celebrates the native land and the Natives who survive as they have survived throughout time, perilously. It is the story of a veterinarian who attempts to sustain and nurture life on the land, his empathy with the living, and his sympathy for the dead and dying.”

4. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

“Animal lovers of all ages will cherish this memorable story.”

5. Holy Cow by David Duchovny

“In Holy Cow, David Duchovny’s charismatic creatures point the way toward a mutual understanding and acceptance that the world desperately needs.”

6. My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

“Winner of the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship, Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael is a bestseller and a testament for a burgeoning spiritual movement.  Now Quinn presents an extraordinary sequel, a companion novel so startlingly original that even Ishmael’s most faithful readers will not predict its outcome….”

7. Prisoners of Flight by Sid Gustafson

“Two former prisoners of the Vietnam War, one an Indian from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the other a veterinarian, both alcoholic and psychologically scarred, reunite and fly to Montana’s Glacier national Park. When they make a forced landing in the wilderness, their plane breaks a strut and they have no choice but to make camp for the winter. Eventually, they are joined by two young twin sisters who have wandered off their trail. During fierce winter storms they are marooned together in a small cabin, struggling to keep warm, find enough to eat and, hopefully, wait for a break in the weather. All four are lost, not only physically, but also psychically, and it is this unplanned intimacy, the struggle to survive, and the developing friendships that lead to the transformations that lie at the heart of this novel. Both harrowing and beautiful, Prisoners of Flight uses the power of nature and metaphor to illuminate the human condition.”

8. The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James

“In three intertwined storylines—one of them narrated by the elephant himself—Tania James crafts a heartbreaking tale of the ivory trade, exploring the porous boundary between conservation and corruption. It is a wrenching exploration of love and betrayal, duty and loyalty, and the vexed relationship between man and nature.”

9. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

10. One Good Dog by Susan Wilson

“What transpires is the story of one man, one dog, and how they save each other—in ways they never could have expected.”

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