“The best arguments in the world won't change a person's mind. The only thing that can do that is a good story.” Richard Powers, The Overstory
In The Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers, a paradigm-shifting story of activism and resistance, nine people who know how to listen are brought together by five trees to protest the destruction of our forests.
At the beginning of the book, a woman sits in a park: "A chorus of living wood sings to the woman: If your mind were only a slightly greener thing, we'd drown you in meaning. The pine she leans against says: Listen. There's something you need to hear." Powers brings to life Robin Wall Kimmerer's vision of a communal, reciprocal relationship between people and plants. It is a work of fiction imagined with the help of many works of nonfiction and containing within it a fictional nonfiction work. In a By the Book interview with The New York Times (March 28, 2019), Powers says he has "a large bookshelf devoted to trees and their allies." Powers' research for the novel literally changed his life, leading him to Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains, where he now lives.
What do you think? Has The Overstory changed your perspective on your place in the natural world and your responsibility to it?
We hope you will join the discussion:
When? Tuesday, June 1, at 6:30 p.m.
Where? We will meet virtually on CCPL's Zoom server. Here is a link to register for the June meeting:
Hi there,
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 1, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqceisqjkvGdQlXPa0Wx5dyNGMbiuz9u5K
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
