"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Another great read with the Mainly Reading Book Club! We all enjoyed this novel about a life in the circus, growing old, family and love. The main character, 93-year old Jacob Jankowski, relives an adventure filled time during the Great Depression when he joined the Benzini Brothers Circus. Here he meets the love of his life and many unforgettable characters, including a wonderful elephant, Rosie. This novel is full of layers and subplots which add a richness and depth. Readers follow Jacob on an incredible journey of love, loss, family, and loyalty. The chapters on his life in the circus are contrasted by his present day life in a nursing home. The author, Sara Gruen, provides a well-researched glimpse into the closed-community of the circus, thereby demonstrating how each of us build our own sense of community, home, networks and roots.

"The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman

We had a excellent discussion on the possibility of a world without humans. The author, Alan Weisman, presents a very readable book that blends science, history and speculation. He explores different areas of the world where human impact has been so severe that it is difficult to imagine how the natural world would recover after us. Mr. Weisman gives specific examples of this through-- the disaster at Chernobyl, the Korean DMZ, Varosha on the Island of Cyprus, the Kingman Reef, Rocky Flats and many more. Our discussion focused on specific passages and many questions. Of particular interest--Should we as humans be concerned about extinctions as a part of global progression and what is our responsibility in the world due to our actions? We found that the smallest of actions is interconnected and will impact the world for generations past and present. Some of our favorite passages are: "More crucial to us still here on Earth, right now, is whether we humans can make it through what many scientists call this planet's latest great extinction-- make it through, and bring the rest of life with us rather than tear it down." and "A species as creative and arguably intelligent as our own should somehow find a way to achieve a balance. We have a lot to learn obviously, but I haven't given up on us." I personally am voting for the microbes that have adapted to our environmental misteps, and may solve many of our problems.