Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from August 22nd

Thursday night was warm, humid and drizzly, with threatening storms. It was not an evening to enjoy your yard, deck or barbecue. So why not attend a book discussion group with neighbors in your air-conditioned library? Many thanks, as always, to the fourteen people who did just that.

Our book this month was Birdseye: the adventures of a curious man by Mark Kurlansky. The next time you open your freezer for a package of hamburger or peas, remember that it was in the wilds of Labrador, desperate for fresh food, that set Clarence Birdseye on the path to developing the process of fresh freezing. It also made him quite wealthy. He was a curious man in both senses of the word. His interests were wide and varied and he pursued them with a happy passion. At his death, he held over two hundred patents. He would also eat what he could get his hands on, including porcupines, weasels, skunk, birds of all sorts and much more. Mark Kurlansky writes wonderfully and portrays Birdseye with humor and affection. Our conversation was lively and a lot of fun, including the role of ice in civilization, the locavore movement, fur farming, ethanol, immigration, eating habits and other topics too numerous to mention.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, September 26, 2013. The book to be discussed, The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge and the rush to empire, 1898 by Evan Thomas is available at the Circulation Desk. All are welcome.