Read the featured book below. Watch the video interview with the author. Watch the nature-themed featured video. Jumpstart your group conversation with our discussion questions. Pick a new themed topic, and repeat! |
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When The Killing's Done
This novel fictionalizes the National Park Service’s efforts to destroy a population of black rats that landed on the Channel Islands when an 18th century shipwreck sent rodents spilling into the sea... (read more)
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T.C. Boyle Share T.C. Boyle’s wonder and curiosity about the natural world. You’ll sense his concern that maybe humans push the limits of nature too far. We go to the outermost reaches of the Earth manipulating the... (read more) Watch in English Watch w/Spanish Subtitles |
Pushing the Limits of Nature Cameron is a natural risk-taker, boldly rushing into situations where others might think twice. He’s pushed the limits of NATURE his whole life. It could be argued that this aspect of his...
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Consider using these other suggested nature-themed books and media for future gatherings. Take a look at the other items below, curated for this theme. How do people push the limits of nature in each book or video? The joy is in the discovery! Making those connections as you read will enrich your follow-up conversations.
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Veterinarian Samantha Lewis pushes her own limits on the “natural” order of things, ignoring the humans in her life and devoting her whole heart to helping homeless dogs. When the city threatens to shut down Sam’s... (read more)
Detective Arturo Belaro makes his first appearance in this novella where he tracks down a villain — seemingly, the embodiment of evil cruelty behind Pinochet’s regime. Belaro’s character... (read more)
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Artist Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind. But sometimes, technology trumps nature. These days, Neil wears a device on his head that turns color into audible frequencies. Instead of seeing his world in grayscale... (read more)
A man stumbles out of the Amazon rainforest, hours from death. He was part of a research expedition that disappeared four years ago. Researcher Nathan Rand... (read more)
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spacerline An unhappy, rural woman discovers a "miracle" in the woods near her home. Thousands of monarch butterflies hang from the trees. She tries desperately to protect these lovely insects — in part... (read more)
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It’s 40 years from now. The planet reels under heavy weather — with rampant tornadoes caused by a runaway greenhouse effect. These massive storms... (read more)
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WHEN THE KILLING'S DONE
This novel fictionalizes the National Park Service’s efforts to destroy a population of black rats that landed on the Channel Islands when an 18th century shipwreck sent rodents spilling into the sea. Now the NPS has labeled the black rats an invasive species and started efforts to kill them off. But radical animal activists take a stance, trying to save the furry immigrants. Readers will be challenged to consider “What, exactly, is natural?” Should the rats be eliminated because they arrived in a technology-assisted migration? Does that mean they don’t belong here? Or are they now a natural part of the ecosystem? As an author of numerous highly acclaimed books, T.C. Boyle often centers his fiction around complex questions where culture, ethics, and nature intersect. PUSHING THE LIMITS OF NATURE
Cameron is a natural risk-taker, boldly rushing into situations where others might think twice. He’s pushed the limits of NATURE his whole life. It could be argued that this aspect of his nature led to his tragic accident. Throughout Cameron’s poignant story, you find yourself wondering if every person has their own inborn nature. And if so, is it possible to override some of that programming?
https://www.ted.com I LISTEN TO COLOR
Artist Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind. But sometimes, technology trumps nature. These days, Neil wears a device on his head that turns color into audible frequencies. Instead of seeing his world in grayscale, Harbisson hears a symphony of color -- and yes, even listens to faces and paintings. (TED Talk) ESTRELLA DISTANTE
Detective Arturo Belaro makes his first appearance in this novella where he tracks down a villain — seemingly, the embodiment of evil cruelty behind Pinochet’s regime. Belaro’s character (considered by most to be the alter-ego of author Belaño) narrates with a subtle, dark mocking of the unfolding politics of Chile in the 1970s. (Roberto Bolaño - Fiction) AMAZONIA
A man stumbles out of the Amazon rainforest, hours from death. He was part of a research expedition that disappeared four years ago. Researcher Nathan Rand will brave the jungle to retrace the dead man’s steps, trying to solve the mounting mysteries — both natural and supernatural. But the nightmare that is awaiting Nate and his team of scientists and seasoned U.S. Army Rangers dwarfs any danger they anticipated. An ancient, unspoken terror. A power beyond human imagining that can forever alter the world beyond the dark, lethal confines of the Amazon rainforest for better — and for worse. - goodreads.com (James Rollins - Fiction) HEAVY WEATHER
It’s 40 years from now. The planet reels under heavy weather — with rampant tornadoes caused by a runaway greenhouse effect. These massive storms are devouring the landscape, leaving human and ecological wreckage in their wake. And on their trail are the Storm Troupers: a ragtag band of computer experts and atmospheric scientists who live to hack heavy weather — to document it and spread the information as far as the digital networks will stretch, using virtual reality to explore the eye of the storm. Although it's incredibly addictive, this is no game. The Troupers' computer models suggest that soon an "F-6" will strike — a tornado of an intensity that exceeds any existing scale; a storm so devastating that it may never stop. And they're going to be there when all hell breaks loose. - goodreads.com (Bruce Sterling - Fiction) |
T. C. BOYLE SCIENCE IN EVERYDAY LIFE JUST LIFE
Veterinarian Samantha Lewis pushes her own limits on the “natural” order of things, ignoring the humans in her life and devoting her whole heart to helping homeless dogs. When the city threatens to shut down Sam’s no-kill shelter, leaving her pups with nowhere to go, panic sets in. Sam is already at her breaking point when she learns of an unidentified, dangerous virus spreading through their neighborhood. The medical community can only determine that animals are the carriers. Amid growing panic and a demand for immediate answers, suspicion abruptly falls on dogs as the source. Soon the governor is calling in the National Guard to enforce a quarantine — no dog may leave the area. Samantha knows from her own painful history that, despite the lack of real evidence against the dogs, a quarantine may only be the beginning. As questions about the source of the virus mount and clash with the pressure for a politically expedient resolution, Sam is forced to make life-altering choices. - goodreads.com (Neil Abramson - Fiction) FLIGHT BEHAVIOR
An unhappy, rural woman discovers a "miracle" in the woods near her home. Thousands of monarch butterflies hang from the trees. She tries desperately to protect these lovely insects — in part, because their presence in her life will change it forever. Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at seventeen. Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man. As she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media. The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his own stake in the outcome. As the community lines up to judge the woman and her miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed. - goodreads.com (Barbara Kingsolver - Fiction) |