Anchorage Public Library has partnered with Science Friday to bring the Sci Fri Book Club to the science and reading enthusiasts in our community. The SciFri Book Club is a program created by Science Friday to bring people together around all things science reading – anything from sci-fi short stories to nonfiction science books to science articles from various publications to science-y poetry!
There’s lots of ways to participate: Read the book, join our community space, attend an event, or send a message on the SciFri VoxPop app.
April Selection
This April, the SciFri Book Club is reading When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance by Riley Black. In the beginning, there were plants. Billions of years ago, plant life was abundant and diverse, and the evolution of animals was closely tied to the plants that surrounded them. This close relationship between plants and animals played a crucial role in shaping the development of life on Earth. When the Earth Was Green provides a breathtaking ballad of the scientifically-informed romance between early life and plants on our planet. Understanding the coevolution of plants and animals is essential to understanding the history of life on our planet and predicting its future.
When the Earth Was Green brings together a range of topics, including evolution, ecology, environmental science, natural history and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.
Get the book from the Anchorage Public Library. Ebook and audiobook from the Alaska Digital Library.
This Book Club season kicks off Tuesday, April 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- April 1-6: Chapters 1-3
- April 7-13: Chapters 4-7
- April 14-20: Chapters 8-11
- April 21-30: Chapters 12-15 + Final thoughts
Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can purchase a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.
Book Club Meeting
Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance
Thursday, May 1
4 PM | Zoom
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in When the Earth Was Green. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about evolution, ecology, environmental science, natural history and more.
Author Live Stream
Join us online for a livestream all about the science topics featured in the SciFri Book Club pick. Come with your queries and wonderings—we’ll be taking your questions in the livestream comments!
When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance
Wednesday, April 23
2 PM | Science Friday's YouTube Livestream
Billions of years ago, plant life was abundant and diverse, and the evolution of animals was closely tied to the plant life around them. Join celebrated science writer and author Riley Black for a conversation about her new book, When the Earth Was Green, a breathtaking ballad of the scientifically-informed romance between early life and plants on Earth.
May Selection
This May, the SciFri Book Club will read Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green. Tuberculosis has been infecting and killing humans for ages, and after gaining infamy as a poets’ disease, TB now follows the road of injustice and inequality we’ve created. John Green befriended Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Laka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone, and, since that first visit, has become a passionate advocate for improved treatment access and awareness of the healthcare imbalances that make TB—a curable, treatable infectious disease—the deadliest to this day. In Everything Is Tuberculosis, Green weaves Henry’s story into the scientific and social histories of tuberculosis, and how our choices will define its destiny.
Everything Is Tuberculosis brings together a range of topics, including microbiology, medical science, epidemiology, history and culture, global and public health, and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.
Get the Ebook or audiobook from the Alaska Digital Library. You can also get a copy from your local bookstore.
This Book Club season kicks off Thursday, May 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- May 1-4: Chapters 1-3
- May 5-11: Chapters 4-7
- May 12-18: Chapters 8-13
- May 19-25: Chapters 14-23
- May 26-31: Final Thoughts
Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can purchase a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.
Join the SciFri Book Club community forum here.
Book Club Meeting
Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
Everything is Tuberculosis
Thursday, May 29
4 PM | Zoom
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Everything Is Tuberculosis. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about microbiology, medical science, epidemiology, history and culture, global and public health, and more.
AUTHOR LIVESTREAM
Tuberculosis has plagued humanity for thousands of years, and now primarily follows the road of poverty and inequality. Best-selling author John Green discusses his new book, Everything is Tuberculosis, which weaves together a TB patient’s story with comprehensive insights into how the disease shapes our world.
Everything is Tuberculosis
Monday, May 19
12 PM | Science Friday's YouTube Livestream
Upcoming Selections
- May: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green.
- June: Many Things Under a Rock: the Mysteries of Octopuses by David Scheel. Ebook and audiobook available from the Alaska Digital Library. Audiobook always available on hoopla.
- July: Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed our Food, our Planet, and Ourselves by Nicola Twilley. Ebook available from the Alaska Digital Library.
