The Environmental Book Club

April Book Discussion-  Crossings by Ben Goldfarb
.   Review-  https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/ben-goldfarb-crossings-roads-review/ Questions- How does the road fuel fires and is that an issue in California? Why should you bomb all the roads? Were they a problem during the pandemic? How did highways affect natural ecosystems in Belmont/San Carlos? Was there a process of urban blight removal tied to highways? How are deaths and highways related? And how can they be improved? Are there other issues? What is landscape fragmentation and are there examples in San Carlos? Will road ecology help or does the book imply trends that will offset the benefits? Should the book and topic have been cars? Post discussion notes

 March Book Discussion- Butcher's Crossing by John Williams Why is Emerson relevant to Andrews? What does Dina Gillo-Whitaker say of Emerson? How do the characters in Butcher's Crossing relate to the story? What is their purpose to "the west", "nature", and "identity"? Why does Andrew have to go on a buffalo hunt? What relationship does immense herd have to his purpose? How are Indians portrayed and what does it mean? Can you have beautiful valleys without herds of buffalo? What does it mean with respect to "nature"? What kind of place does Andrew find in Colorado? Why is winter relevant to this story, and how does it announce itself? How does Andrew survive and what does he learn? What do you consider the turning point in the book? Which character do you like and which hate, and why, and how do they relate to the story? What does the return to Butcher's Crossing signify, and why? Is fire catharsis in the West? How do the characters r...