Book Group

We are reading "Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America" by Leila Philip at our October meeting. Please stop by the library to pick up a copy of the book.

Booklist (12/01/2022):

Traversing wooded landscapes near waterways, hikers may encounter clusters of branches blocking, diverting, and ultimately reshaping surrounding areas. Although they may not witness the remarkable engineers at work, it's likely these dams are beaver-built. Instinctual team players, beavers are unique, semiaquatic mammalian marvels and occupy an important place in America's history and culture. Guggenheim fellow and Boston Globe columnist Philip explores the beaver's cultural influences throughout the land's history. Long prized by First Peoples, then nearly trapped to extinction by fur traders, beavers are now protected in many areas by state laws and closely studied by scientists and environmentalists. Philip's coverage of beaver behavior, habits, and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems is instructive. Yet her narrative goes beyond biology as she delves into the ways beavers shape water, land, and community in America. Simultaneously, Philip chronicles her own journeys, alongside experts, searching for and observing beavers in the wild. Beaverland pairs nicely with Eager (2018) by Ben Goldfard and Water Always Wins (2022) by Erica Gies. COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.