Book Club Selection: “Losing Eden” by Sara Dant

November-December Book Club Selection: “Losing Eden” by Sara Dant

This summer, I had the pleasure of meeting historian Sara Dant at an American West conference at the Aspen Institute. During her presentations, I was struck by her remarkable ability to present complex and sometimes dry topics regarding the American West in an engaging and easy-to-understand manner.  (You can watch two of her presentations here and here.) It’s clear that Sara is a gifted professor who has perfected her ability to make history equally fun and educational.

As soon as I returned home, I ordered her book Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.  In just under 200 pages, Sara lays out the history of the West, starting with human migration into North America 15-30,000 years ago and ending with our present day scramble to find solutions to natural resource shortages and climate change. There’s also ample coverage of historical figures including Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Frank Church, and more. For me, the book connected many different familiar time periods and concepts into one cohesive narrative, while simultaneously introducing me to new ideas and people, all while keeping me thoroughly entertained.

If you love the podcast, you’ll love this book, as it covers so many of the topics we regularly discuss, including conservation, water, public lands, building consensus around divisive issues, historical figures of the West, and much more.  So as you’ve probably gathered by now, the November-December Book Club Selection is:

Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West by Sara Dant

Sara has graciously offered to answer questions about the book or even participate in some sort of online discussion, so we’ll be sorting out those details in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, listen to my conversation with Sara, start reading the book, and check back to this page or the Goodreads group for more information as it becomes available.

If you’d like to participate:

• Grab a copy of Losing Eden—purchase it from Amazon or your local bookseller, or check it out from your local library. Start reading.
• Head over to our Goodreads Group. Create an account, then join in the conversation in the online discussion forum. As you read, give your feedback on the book, pose questions to the group, and share your thoughts as you plow through the adventure.
• The only way this works is with lots of participation from lots of people, so the more the better. DON’T BE SHY!

Mountain & Prairie Book Club – Goodreads Group