Author Guide · Environmental Writing
Books Written by
Elizabeth Rush travelled along the coasts of the United States, from the Louisiana bayous to Staten Island, to meet the people already living with rising seas and the ones being forced to leave. Rising was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. For her next book she joined a scientific expedition to the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, the so-called doomsday glacier, while deciding whether to have a child. This guide covers all three of her books in order, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 3 books · Environmental writing · 2015–2023 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Elizabeth Rush has published three books: Still Lifes from a Vanishing City (2015), about Yangon; Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore (2018), a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth (2023), about Antarctica.
Where to Start with Elizabeth Rush
If you want the famous one
→ Rising (2018).
If you want the most recent
→ The Quickening (2023).
All 3 Elizabeth Rush Books, in Order
Still Lifes from a Vanishing City
Essays and photographs of the old city of Yangon as Myanmar opened up.
Rising
Communities on the American coast facing sea-level rise, from Louisiana and Florida to Staten Island and Maine, told partly in their own voices. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
The Quickening
An expedition to the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, and her own decision about motherhood in a time of climate change.
How Many Books Did Elizabeth Rush Write?
Three books between 2015 and 2023.
- Climate — Rising and The Quickening. Read the entries →
- Essays — Still Lifes from a Vanishing City. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Elizabeth Rush
Rising and The Quickening belong together; read them in that order.
A reading path
1. Rising (2018)
2. The Quickening (2023)
Quick facts about Elizabeth Rush
- Teaches
- Brown University
- Recognition
- Pulitzer Prize finalist (2019); NEA Fellowship
- Books
- 3, from 2015 to 2023
How Elizabeth Rush Writes: Many Voices
Rush combines her own travels with first-person testimonies from the people she meets, giving them space in their own words.
She writes about climate change through specific places and communities, and through her own life.
Frequently asked questions about Elizabeth Rush's books
How many books has Elizabeth Rush written?
Elizabeth Rush has published three books: Still Lifes from a Vanishing City (2015), Rising (2018) and The Quickening (2023).
What is Rising about?
Rising (2018) explores American coastal communities facing sea-level rise. It was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all hers.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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