Author: Ben Rawlence
Non-Fiction/202 pages

After the ocean, the boreal forest is the largest biome—living system—on earth. Encircling the globe in a nearly continuous green ring, this "lung" is essential to the planet's health. Author Ben Rawlence takes the reader on a journey around the world, stopping at places in the boreal forests. From Ireland to Wales, to Norway to Siberia, to Alaska, Canada and Greenland, Rawland journeys with the peoples of the North and interviews scientists and indigenous people whose families have lived in these regions for tens of thousands of years. All of it is suddenly changing with our warming climate and massive wildfires. He writes not only the stories of our modern times, but also of the historical reasons for the disappearance of forests in Ireland and Scotland. His writing is lyrical, with rigorous reporting, as he grapples with the rapidly changing conditions and what this might mean for the future of life on Earth. His book is an amazing study in the ecology of these forests. Reading it I felt everything from awe, to terror, to hope.

Discussion led by Harriet Cooke. Nonmembers welcome. RSVP for Zoom info.