Jon Mooallem Books in Order

This historical account revisits a 1910 proposal to solve America's meat shortage by importing hippopotamuses into Louisiana. Mooallem follows the unlikely alliance of former enemies Frederick Russell Burnham and Fritz Duquesne behind the ambitious scheme.

Taking his young daughter's fascination with animals into the field, Mooallem explores endangered wildlife and the people trying to protect it. Reportage and cultural history examine how American stories about animals shape conservation, hope, and loss.

Mooallem reconstructs the catastrophic weekend of Alaska's 1964 earthquake through survivor accounts, documents, and broadcasts. Radio reporter Genie Chance's tireless work anchors a portrait of Anchorage residents improvising ways to support one another after disaster.

Thirteen reported essays explore human vulnerability through unusual lives and moments of upheaval. Mooallem follows subjects including a fraudulent pigeon breeder, wildfire survivors, and a newly released prisoner, connecting their experiences through uncertainty, aspiration, and fallibility.