Why am I passionate about this?

I am a scientist studying the evolution of insect communities for years. I am fascinated by their high degree of cooperation and how these animals make collective decisions. But I also observe social parasitic ants that raid other colonies and make their workers work for them. This tension between altruistic cooperation on the one hand and violence and war, on the other hand, is common to human and insect societies, even if they evolved in completely different ways. I hope that when you read the books I recommend here, you will be as fascinated as I am by these parallel universes and perhaps next time you will see an ant with different eyes. 


I wrote

Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors

By Susanne Foitzik, Olaf Fritsche,

Book cover of Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors

What is my book about?

Ants number in the ten quadrillions, and they have been here since the Jurassic era. Inside an anthill, you’ll find…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Susanne Foitzik Why did I love this book?

This book will be a quarter-century old next year, and it is a book that has kept me busy for a long time. The question of why some human societies have progressed more than others is one that poses itself to anyone who has studied human history. When I read this book, I had decided to study the evolution of insect societies. Ants also engage in many interactions with other organisms, they cultivate fungi, keep livestock (aphids), and yes and sometimes wage war, just like human societies.

Jared Diamond describes in this book how the presence of domesticable animals and plants can drive the evolution of human societies. How pathogens and the exchange of them between populations, often determine the fate of human societies rather than military achievements. Especially in our time, it is again an exciting book, which should be read by a new generation.

By Jared Diamond,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Guns, Germs, and Steel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, a classic of our time, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond dismantles racist theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for its broadest patterns.

The story begins 13,000 years ago, when Stone Age hunter-gatherers constituted the entire human population. Around that time, the developmental paths of human societies on different continents began to diverge greatly. Early domestication of wild plants and animals in the Fertile Crescent, China,…


Book cover of Honeybee Democracy

Susanne Foitzik Why did I love this book?

Social insects live in close communities, often of several thousand individuals. We often imagine the animals as small robots that perform their tasks as if automated. But this is far from the case. Honeybees are models for the study of learning and can also make complex decisions based on previous experience. However, it becomes particularly difficult when all the animals of a hive have to agree. And bees of a swarm have this difficult task ahead of them when they are looking for real estate. They inspect the nesting opportunities in the surroundings and advertise them in the swarm.

But how do these social insects make their collective decisions? About this question goes the book, written by an expert in the field, in an exciting and easy-to-understand manner. It turns out that the animals actually listen to many opinions and vote. Who wants to know more about honeybee democracy, read the book!

By Thomas D. Seeley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Honeybee Democracy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Honeybees make decisions collectively - and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, "Honeybee Democracy" brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees.…


Book cover of Ants: Workers of the World

Susanne Foitzik Why did I love this book?

I'm an ant researcher, so perhaps it's not surprising that I'm recommending an ant book. But this book is less about the short essays, which do a great job of describing the biology of these social animals, and more about the photos. Most people overlook ants because they are so tiny, but when you enlarge them, as in this book, they show their real beauty. When I received my copy, I was amazed and I have seen many ants up close. But the sheer variety of morphological structures, faces, and yes, even colors. Not all ants are black or red, there are even ants that shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow.

We notice mostly ant workers, but in this book also the males are represented, and they often look out-worldly, so not at all like we imagine ants. A book that shows the aesthetics of these social animals and invites you to wonder. 

By Eleanor Spicer Rice, Eduard Florin Niga (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Nature's most successful insects captured in remarkable macrophotography

In Ants, photographer Eduard Florin Niga brings us incredibly close to the most numerous animals on Earth, whose ability to organize colonies, communicate among themselves, and solve complex problems has made them an object of endless fascination. Among the more than 30 species photographed by Niga are leafcutters that grow fungus for food, trap-jaw ants with fearsome mandibles, bullet ants with potent stingers, warriors, drivers, gliders, harvesters, and the pavement ants that are always underfoot. Among his most memorable images are portraits-including queens, workers, soldiers, and rarely seen males-that bring the reader…


Book cover of The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World

Susanne Foitzik Why did I love this book?

All socially living creatures must cooperate; indeed, cooperation is a basic principle of evolution and occurs even between cells. In this book, Nichola Raihani describes the evolution of cooperative behavior over the entire tree of life, from cells to social insects to group-living birds and mammals to humans. With many examples, this tour de force is nevertheless so exciting that one does not want to put the book down. One learns a lot about when cooperation arises, what conditions must be present for cooperative behavior to remain stable, and when cooperation can also break down. At a time when worldwide cooperation is needed to combat global problems, whether climate change or pandemics, this book provides important insights.

By Nichola Raihani,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Social Instinct as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why cooperate? This may be the most important scientific question we have ever, and will ever, face.

The science of cooperation tells us not only how we got here, but also where we might end up. Cooperation explains how strands of DNA gave rise to modern-day nation states. It defines our extraordinary ecological success as well as many of the most surprising features of what make us human: not only why we live in families, why we have grandmothers and why women experience the menopause, but also why we become paranoid and jealous, and why we cheat.

Nichola Raihani also…


Book cover of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

Susanne Foitzik Why did I love this book?

We often complain that the world is getting worse, but in fact, there are also positive trends in our societies that we overlook over the many daily disasters in the news. Steven Pinker describes one of these in his book. In fact, the likelihood of any one of us falling victim to a violent crime has been decreasing throughout history. Steven Pinker not only describes this unexpected phenomenon but also discusses why it has occurred. Political stability, allowing the monopoly on violence to be transferred to the state, and also the fatherly side of men have led to a decline in violence, at least up to the time the book was published nearly 10 years ago.

We see, caused in part, by the pandemic and the opposing political camps reducing societal stability, perhaps contrary trends now, but this does not make this book less important. The lessons to be learned are general and may help us to restore the conditions that lead to less violence.

By Steven Pinker,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Better Angels of Our Nature as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'The most inspiring book I've ever read' Bill Gates, 2017

'A brilliant, mind-altering book ... Everyone should read this astonishing book' Guardian

'Will change the way you see the world' Daily Mail

Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2012

Wasn't the twentieth century the most violent in history? In his extraordinary, epic book Steven Pinker shows us that this is wrong, telling the story of humanity in a completely new and unfamiliar way. From why cities make us safer to how books bring about peace, Pinker weaves together history, philosophy and science to examine why we are less likely to…


Explore my book 😀

Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors

By Susanne Foitzik, Olaf Fritsche,

Book cover of Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors

What is my book about?

Ants number in the ten quadrillions, and they have been here since the Jurassic era. Inside an anthill, you’ll find high drama worthy of a royal court; and between colonies, high-stakes geopolitical intrigue is afoot. Just like us, ants grow crops, raise livestock, tend their young and infirm, and make vaccines. And, just like us, ants have a dark side: They wage war, despoil environments, and enslave rivals—but also rebel against their oppressors.

Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik has traveled the globe to study these master architects of Earth. Joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, Foitzik invites readers deep into her world—in the field and in the lab.

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Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

By Lyle Greenfield,

Book cover of Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

Lyle Greenfield Author Of Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, large and small. Why things functioned well, why they didn’t. It’s possible my ability to empathize and use humor as a consensus-builder is the reason I was elected president of a homeowners association, a music production association, and even an agricultural group. Books were not particularly involved in this fascination! But in recent years, experiencing the breakdown of civility and trust in our political and cultural discourse, I’ve taken a more analytical view of the dynamics. These books, in their very different ways, have taught me lessons about life, understanding those with different beliefs, and finding ways to connect and move forward. 

Lyle's book list on restoring your belief in human possibility

What is my book about?

We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike. 

My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and modern-day causes of our nation's divisive state. It then proposes easy-to-understand solutions—an action plan for our elected leaders and citizens as well. Rather than a scholarly treatment of a complex topic, the book challenges us to take the obvious steps required of those living in a free democracy. And it…

Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

By Lyle Greenfield,

What is this book about?

Lyle Greenfield's "Uniting the States of America―A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation" is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Incorporating the lessons of history and the ideas and wisdom of many, it is intended as both an educational resource and a call-to-action for citizens concerned about the politically and culturally divided state of our Union. A situation that has raised alarm for the very future of our democracy.

First, the book clearly identifies the causes of what has become a national crisis of belief in and love for our country. How the divisiveness and hostility rampant in our political…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in social evolution, honey bees, and violence?

Social Evolution 15 books
Honey Bees 22 books
Violence 102 books