The Wreck of the Mentor: A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail

Eric Jay Dolin (Liveright)

Award-winning historian Eric Jay Dolin ’88 MEM reconstructs the 1832 wreck of the American whaleship Mentor in the remote Western Pacific. The true story details the captivity and eventual rescue of the 11 surviving crew members from Palau, where they were held captive by a Micronesian tribe.

Dolin brings the shipwreck to life with maps and over 100 images, illuminating the Age of Sail and revealing how the Mentor wreck became a flash point at which exploration and conquest collided with local sovereignty. The harrowing tale has garnered early praise and was listed in “The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026” by The New York Times.

Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It

Samuel Miller McDonald (St. Martin’s Press)

What if our modern notion of progress is flawed? Using anthropology, philosophy, and history, geographer Samuel Miller McDonald ’15 MEM interrogates the pervasive myths about progress that have shaped modern Western civilizations.

The book argues that stories told with a rising tide of progress narrative at their center often do not acknowledge or account for societal and environmental harms that, he believes, often resemble more of a parasitic relationship than a continuous growth curve. McDonald challenges readers to reimagine notions of progress to create new resilient, thriving societies of tomorrow.

Diviner Mind: How Organisations Can Learn from the Indigenous Science of Uncertainty

Nicola Robins (Odyssey Books)

Sustainability consultant Nicola Robins ’94 MES began a decades-long investigation into how Africa’s Ngoma traditions cultivate adaptability and resilience after she experienced a life-altering incident that upended her view of the world while auditing a diamond mine in Australia — she said she heard the mountain speak to her.

After returning to her home in South Africa, she embarked on a multi-decade journey to ascribe meaning to what she experienced, researching Africa’s Ngoma traditions and exploring how Western frameworks constrained her understanding of complex problems.

In her book, Robins demonstrates how Ngoma Indigenous knowledge systems offer dynamic, regenerative solutions and ethical responses to challenges, all while maintaining social, ecological, and cultural balance. This balance can help organizations deftly navigate sustainable transitions in a world in constant motion.

Disciplined Entrepreneurship for Climate and Energy Ventures

Ben Soltoff, Bill Aulet, Tod Hynes, Francis O’Sullivan, Libby Wayman (Wiley) 

Ben Soltoff ’19 MEM and co-authors have crafted a choose-your-own-adventure playbook for entrepreneurs and founders seeking to bring climate tech solutions to life, solve high-value problems, and accelerate commercialization of climate solutions.

The guide offers a road-tested framework to steer decision-making and is paired with case studies, templates, and practical advice. Seeking to address the unique challenges and opportunities in climate tech, the book distills the steps necessary to design impactful solutions and home in on the “people-planet-profit sweet spot.” This comprehensive tool kit of concepts equips entrepreneurs for financial, social, and environmental success.