February Not Fiction Book Discussions

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert tells perhaps the most important--and the most difficult to believe--story of our time. Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on planet Earth was suddenly and dramatically reduced. A sixth extinction is currently in progress, and we human beings are the agents of change. Moreover, we are causing change at a rate much faster than evolution, determining not only the fate of the planet and our fellow travelers on it, but also, of course, our own. In her Prologue, Kolbert says,

If extinction is a morbid topic, mass extinction is, well, massively so. It's also a fascinating one. In the pages that follow, I try to convey both sides: the excitement of what's being learned as well as the horror of it. My hope is that readers of this book will come away with an appreciation of the truly extraordinary moment in which we live.

Kolbert combines vivid descriptions of the natural wonders she visits, such as the Great Barrier Reef and tropical rain forests, with clear, detailed summaries of the findings of the scientists studying evolution and extinction. Her tone is resolute and understated, never shrill. Her narrative makes her sobering argument through showing, rather than telling. In an interview with the editors of Publishers Weekly, Kolbert said of her role in writing the book,

In many ways I see myself as a translator. I got a lot of knowledgeable people to explain their work to me, often multiple times. Almost all of the scientists I dealt with were incredibly generous. They put up with my questions for months, in some cases years. . . . They really want people to understand the enormity of what's going on.

 One of Kolbert's most unsettling points is that our effect on the planet is not a matter of good or bad intentions; it is a simple matter of the fact of our existence on the planet and of some of our unique qualities as a species--our creativity, our ability to collaborate, our ability to pass information from generation to generation, our mobility, our ability to transform our environment. Kolbert notes that "To argue that the current extinction event could be averted if people just cared more and were willing to make more sacrifices is not wrong, exactly; still, it misses the point. It doesn't much matter whether people care or don't care. What matters is that people change the world."

An interviewer for the New York Times asked Kolbert whether she finds writing about extinction depressing. She replied,

I've tried to transcend my own feelings. Yes, it's depressing, but you have to look it in the face. That's true of a lot of topics. . . . The other side of it was that in writing a book about extinction, I went to some of the most amazing places on Earth. . . . Spending time with [scientists working to preserve species] showed me the amazing lengths people are willing to go through to preserve species. That's the other side of the extinction story.

How do you feel after reading The Sixth Extinction? If people change the world, can we decide to change it enough to avoid the worst consequences of the climate change and extinction event we have set in motion? If not, is change simply an inevitable and unavoidable fact of the universe, not worth despairing about? Or do you feel depressed? Why would we want to read a book about something that, individually, we have little control over? And why do some people resist this true story even in the face of persuasive evidence? Why is it so incredible?

We hope you will join the discussion: Tuesday, February 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Mail Library; Thursday, February 19, at 11:00 a.m. at West Ashley Branch Library; and here on the blog.

Readalikes: If you enjoyed January's selection . . .

If you enjoyed The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese by Michael Paterniti, then you might also like these books and films recommended by our discussion members: In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust; Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes; Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis; the Noriko Trilogy of films directed by Yasujiro Ozu; The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell and Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers; and the essay The Storyteller by Walter Benjamin.