In The Age of Deer, Erika Howsare details the rich history of deer across cultures and contexts—from their hoofprints in the earth to their envied crowns of antlers; in stories and art, forests and gardens, crosshairs and truck beds. The resulting narrative is largely about our human relationship with deer—at times symbiotic and reverent, then grotesque, dominating. The author approaches the topic of hunting with an outsider’s trepidation, but her journalistic immersion into that world completely changed my perspective. I savored this book—its stunning, thought-provoking presence—slowly. I’ll never look at a deer the same way again. Recommended by Mary