Activity Report Explorer

Polly Dyer – Seattle • Entered by Penelope Peterson on August 31, 2023

GOB Book Club

August 7, 2023 – August 7, 2023

Key Issue: Public Lands Health & Protection
Activity Type: Education & Outreach (tabling, films & lectures, regional B-walks/works)
Key Partners: Polly Dyer Seattle Broads and a few Broads from other states

Short Description of Activity

We met at 7 pm via Zoom to discuss “That Wild Country: An Epic Journey through the Past, Present, and Future of America’s Public Lands,” by Mark Kenyon. Because it was summer vacation, we agreed that Book Club member could choose to just read a section of the book rather than the whole book. I prepared the following seven questions in advance of our session:
1. Which national park did you choose to read about and why?
2. Did you like the way the author depicted this park? Why or why not?
3. What people were instrumental in establishing this park?
4. What might the author have done better in depicting this park?
5. Did you learn anything that you didn’t know before? If so, what?
6. Is there anything that the author completely ignores? If so, what?
7. What does the author think is needed in the future to save our public lands?

Reflection/Evaluation

In the five years that I have led our Book Club, I would say that the discussion this evening was one of the less lively discussions. In general, the Broads liked the book, but each Broad had read a different section of the book so that might have prevented in-depth discussion of any one part. One member commented that she was chagrined that the author made no mention of the indigenous tribes that had occupied these lands and gave no land acknowledgments. Another person commented that the book was written before the recent commitment to land acknowledgements so the author should not be criticized for their omission. I guess the one good thing about reading this book is that it allowed the reader to “visit” a national park this summer without leaving her armchair!