Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from February 22, 2018

The winter must be taking its toll.  Only four people were able to make it to the book discussion last night.  Their presence, as always, was much appreciated, as will be the arrival of spring.

Our book last night was The Lost City of the Monkey God: a true story by Douglas Preston.  Throughout the dense, isolated jungles of Central and South America, there are many legends of lost cities and civilizations.  One of the most enduring tales of a lost city is situated in the region of Honduras known as Mosquitia.  Due to dense jungles, poisonous snakes and insects and the presence of drug smugglers, Mosquitia is considered one of the most dangerous places on earth.  The book centers on an expedition of archeologists, other scientists, and the author to pierce the jungle and discover if the lost city is real and, if so, what was the nature of the civilization there.  Their exploration, unlike previous ones, was aided by advanced satellite and other technologies.  One of these was LIDAR, light direction and ranging, which enabled them to see, from above, through the jungle and into the ground.  What it showed was amazing, not just one city, but a series of them, an entirely unknown civilization.  But knowing what was there did not make getting to it any easier.  Mosquitia has no roads.  Access is by air, river or on foot.  Fortunately, the government of Honduras was eager to cooperate, providing several aircraft and some soldiers to assist.  There was still the problem of snakes and insects to contend with, but what they found was worth it.  They located a abandoned civilization filled with wondrous structures and carvings.  The book is like an Indiana Jones story with the added attraction of being real.

Our next meeting will be on March 22nd, 2018.  The book to be discussed, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: the story of New York City’s greatest female detective and the 1917 missing girl case that captivated a nation by Brad Ricca, is available at the Circulation Desk.  All are welcome.

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