The Journey of Trees by Zach St. George

 

Summary: (Amazon) Forests are restless. Any time a tree dies or a new one sprouts, the forest that includes it has shifted. When new trees sprout in the same direction, the whole forest begins to migrate, sometimes at astonishing rates. Today, however, an array of obstacles―humans felling trees by the billions, invasive pests transported through global trade―threaten to overwhelm these vital movements. Worst of all, the climate is changing faster than ever before, and forests are struggling to keep up.

A deft blend of science reporting and travel writing, The Journeys of Trees explores the evolving movements of forests by focusing on five trees: giant sequoia, ash, black spruce, Florida torreya, and Monterey pine. Journalist Zach St. George visits these trees in forests across continents, finding sequoias losing their needles in California, fossil records showing the paths of ancient forests in Alaska, domesticated pines in New Zealand, and tender new sprouts of blight-resistant American chestnuts in New Hampshire. Everywhere he goes, St. George meets lively people on conservation’s front lines, from an ecologist studying droughts to an evolutionary evangelist with plans to save a dying species. He treks through the woods with activists, biologists, and foresters, each with their own role to play in the fight for the uncertain future of our environment.

An eye-opening investigation into forest migration past and present, The Journeys of Trees examines how we can all help our trees, and our planet, survive and thrive.

Review: 

WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-journeys-of-trees-review-giants-in-transit-11602256237

Interviews:

Powell's Bookshop in Portland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG9Bjm_7s7o

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896030567/believe-it-or-not-forests-migrate-but-not-fast-enough-for-climate-change

(wwnorton.com)

Author's Website: https://zachstgeorge.com/

Articles/Programs:

Giant Sequoia Genetic Conservation Program: http://www.torreyaguardians.org/sequoia-lunak-2015.pdf

Redwood Genome Project: https://www.savetheredwoods.org/project/redwood-genome-project/

Discussion Questions: 

(npr.org)

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Summary (Amazon): The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

Reviews
NY Times: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/17/daily/trail-book-review.html

Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bill-bryson/a-walk-in-the-woods/

Movie: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/news/a3694/bill-bryson-interview/

Other Discussion Questions:

1. https://robookreview.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/a-walk-in-the-woods-book-club-discussion-questions/

2. http://deathbytsundoku.com/discussion-questions/a-walk-in-the-woods-discussion-questions/

Discussion Questions: (John will be leading)

Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena by Jordan Salama

 

Summary: An American writer of Argentine, Syrian, and Iraqi Jewish descent, Jordan Salama tells the story of the Río Magdalena, nearly one thousand miles long, the heart of Colombia. This is Gabriel García Márquez’s territory—rumor has it Macondo was partly inspired by the port town of Mompox—as much as that of the Middle Eastern immigrants who run fabric stores by its banks.
 
Following the river from its source high in the Andes to its mouth on the Caribbean coast, journeying by boat, bus, and improvised motobalinera, Salama writes against stereotype and toward the rich lives of those he meets. Among them are a canoe builder, biologists who study invasive hippopotamuses, a Queens transplant managing a failing hotel, a jeweler practicing the art of silver filigree, and a traveling librarian whose donkeys, Alfa and Beto, haul books to rural children. Joy, mourning, and humor come together in this astonishing debut, about a country too often seen as only a site of war, and a tale of lively adventure following a legendary river.

Reviews:

Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jordan-salama/every-day-the-river-changes/

Laguna del Magdalena (https://www.guatevalley.com)

Author's Site: https://jordansalama.com/every-day-the-river-changes/

Filigree jewelry ring from Mompox

Interviews:

Princetonian: https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2021/12/q-a-jordan-salama-author-journalist

Princeton Alumni: https://alumni.princeton.edu/stories/jordan-salama-19-telling-stories-cross-cultures

Labyrinth Books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5gKEqFZ1xg

Lithub: https://lithub.com/jordan-salama-on-journeying-colombias-magdalena-river/

Hippo issue and more:

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz8J6lJkbFA

Article: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/24/960060880/colombia-has-a-hippo-problem-thanks-to-pablo-escobar

Article: Slow Boat up the Magdalena: https://thecitypaperbogota.com/travel/taking-the-slow-boat-up-the-magdalena-river/17807

Event: Join us virtually on January 27 @ 6:00 p.m. for a Conversation with the Author about his new book. Please visit Doylestown Bookshop for more information. https://www.doylestownbookshop.com/event/virtual-book-club-nature-lovers-13

Discussion Questions:

Columbia River (outsideonline.com)

Discuss

The World is Our Classroom by Cindy Ross

Summary (from Amazon): "Cindy's story begins in the Rocky Mountain wilderness on a unique and extraordinary journey: two parents leading their young children 3,100 miles on the backs of llamas. This Canada-Mexico trek illustrated to Cindy and her husband what experiential education can do. Inspired by the experience, they went on to create a new way of supplementing their children?s education, focusing on two arenas for learning: the natural world and travel.

In this age of world connection, it is important to raise broad-minded and empathetic children who are knowledgeable about other cultures. To accomplish this goal, Cindy chose an unorthodox approach: she orchestrated learning opportunities for her children, Sierra and Bryce, in twelve countries. The family traveled the world, moving about on foot and bicycle, living simply and intimately. But just as important, and more accessible for many parents, were the opportunities for learning closer to home.

These adventures brought intangible gifts: values--such as compassion, empathy, resilience, self-reliance, and gratitude, among others--not always fostered in a traditional curriculum but crucially important to raising children.

By sharing her story, along with honest insights from her children about the importance of their unusual education, Cindy aims to empower parents to believe they can be their children's best and most important educators. It is for parents who are seeking inspiration, who love a good story, and who are looking for an unorthodox way to raise the happiest, healthiest, and brightest children they can."

Reviews:
American Trails: https://www.americantrails.org/blog/2018/the-world-is-our-classroom

Interviews:
WDIY-88.1 Radio interview: https://www.wdiy.org/post/cindy-ross-lv-discourse#stream/0
Rolf Potts: https://rolfpotts.com/cindy-ross/
The People's Chronicles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA6l4wQNDzI

Author's Website: https://cindyrosstraveler.com/

Resources: Here are just a few of the many wonderful resources and websites shared by the author, especially from the Nut and Bolts section of each chapter:

Untours: https://www.untours.com/

PA Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC): https://www.phmc.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: http://www.hawkmountain.org/

PA Conservation Leadership School: https://news.psu.edu/story/186449/2002/01/25/penn-state-conservation-leadership-schools

Bauen Camp: https://www.acacamps.org/resource-library/camping-magazine/more-art-camp-bauen-story

WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms): https://wwoof.net/

Volunteer Forever: https://www.volunteerforever.com/

Family Tree Magazine: https://www.familytreemagazine.com/

Discussion Questions:

Please Note: The author, Cindy Ross, will be joining us for our discussion and also giving a presentation. These are just a few questions to consider and to spark a conversation. Please bring your own questions to ask as well.

1. What experiences and adventures have stretched or challenged you as a child? Adult? Parent? Grandparent?

2. What did you find surprising in this book?

3. Which adventures did you especially enjoy reading about? Do any of them inspire you to consider a future trip for yourself or family?

4. Discuss the development of traits such as empathy, empowerment, appreciation of nature, curiosity through traveling and adventure, etc. as shared in the book.

5. Each chapter begins with a thoughtful quote. Which one did you especially like and why?

6. What skills do you believe are needed to deal with the “alligators and grizzlies” of life? (p. 184) Can these skills be achieved at any stage of life?

Tip of the Iceberg by Mark Adams

Summary ( Amazon):
"In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organized a most unusual summer voyage to the wilds of Alaska: He converted a steamship into a luxury "floating university," populated by some of America's best and brightest scientists and writers, including the anti-capitalist eco-prophet John Muir. Those aboard encountered a land of immeasurable beauty and impending environmental calamity. More than a hundred years later, Alaska is still America's most sublime wilderness, both the lure that draws one million tourists annually on Inside Passage cruises and as a natural resources larder waiting to be raided. As ever, it remains a magnet for weirdos and dreamers.

Armed with Dramamine and an industrial-strength mosquito net, Mark Adams sets out to retrace the 1899 expedition. Traveling town to town by water, Adams ventures three thousand miles north through Wrangell, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, then continues west into the colder and stranger regions of the Aleutians and the Arctic Circle. Along the way, he encounters dozens of unusual characters (and a couple of very hungry bears) and investigates how lessons learned in 1899 might relate to Alaska's current struggles in adapting to the pressures of a changing climate and world."

Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mark-adams/tip-of-the-iceberg/

Publisher Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-101-98510-6

(E.H. Harriman - Wikipedia)

PBS: "Harriman Expedition Retraced": https://www.pbs.org/harriman/1899/1899.html
and movie by Bullfrog Films: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/hmanhv.html.

(https://www.ninilchikcabinsandrv.com/2015/04/the-1899-harriman-alaska-expedition/)

Interviews:
Powell Books: https://www.powells.com/post/qa/powells-qa-mark-adams-author-of-tip-of-the-iceberg

Penguin Random House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJgWQOxaVPM

(alaskacollection.com)

"A pair of northeast looking photographs, both taken from the same location on the west shoreline of Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska showing the changes that have occurred to Muir Glacier during the 113 years between September 2, 1892 and August 11, 2005. The 1892 photograph shows the more than 100-meter (328-feet) high, more than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide tidewater terminus of the glacier with a face capped by angular séracs. Some icebergs, evidence of recent calving, can be seen floating in Muir Inlet. The mountain located right-of-center is Mount Wright. Mount Case is in the background. Note the absence of vegetation. (H. F. Reid photograph, muir1892_417, courtesy of National Snow and Ice Data Center). In the 2005 photograph, Muir Glacier is no longer visible, as it has retreated more than 50 kilometers (31 miles).  During the interval between photographs, Muir Glacier ceased to have a tidewater terminus. Note the lack of floating ice and the abundant vegetation on many slopes throughout the photograph. (USGS Photograph by Bruce F. Molnia)."

https://www2.usgs.gov/climate_landuse/glaciers/repeat_photography.asp

Author's website: https://www.markadamsbooks.com/

Kim Heacox, "one of Alaska's best know writers": http://kimheacox.com/

Discussion Questions: (John and Heidi will be leading the discussion.)

1.     What is your experience with and knowledge about Alaska?

2.     Discuss the reasons that Harriman wanted to mount the expedition to Alaska in 1899. How did the invited participants who joined him reflect those reasons?

3.     John Muir may be seen as a key contributor to this adventure. In what ways did he impact the trip? Discuss some of the wonderful stories about Muir in this book.

4.     One of the author’s goals was to recreate the Harriman journey. To what extent did he accomplish this? What were some of the changes since Harriman, and also things that did not change?

5.     John Muir even back in the late 1800s was observing glacier retreat in Alaska and found even some of the maps he was using showed that the glacial coastline had changed since the maps had been drawn 150 years before.  How did this book affect your view of climate change and the relative roles of human impact versus nature?

6.     How has resources extraction versus nature preservation shaped Alaska as we know it today, for example, gold mining, oil extraction, fishing, lumbering, trapping, national park/forest creation, etc.

7.     How did the occupation by Europeans and Americans affect the native populations and their lifestyles? How has it changed even today compared to 100 years ago?

8.     How did this book change or affect how you have experienced or perceived Alaska?