Our next SAS Book Club meeting will be held on April 19th at Hope Lutheran Church from 6:30 to 7:45 pm. We hope you can join us in person or virtually for a discussion of Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl by Jonathan C. Slaght (2020). Dessert will be provided. Please bring your own hot drink.
This engrossing book describes the author’s efforts to photograph and decipher the life history of Blakiston’s Fish Owl, a large, reclusive raptor that resides in small numbers in the forests and mountains of the Primorye in far east Russia. This story begins when Slaght,19 years old, arrives in the remote and intriguing Primorye as a student intern in wildlife biology and begins to study the region’s abundant wildlife, birdlife, the culture of its people, and the Russian language.
The book focuses on Slaght’s pioneering work on Blakiston’s Fish Owl and his endeavors to develop a conservation plan for this uncommon species, and by extension preserving this species’ natural environment including virgin timber, mineral deposits, and rivers still teeming with salmon. Owls of the Eastern Ice is first and foremost an account of the natural history of Blakiston’s Fish Owl, but equally a coming-of-age story of Slaght as a young man and budding wildlife biologist, and the survival challenges he and his Russian companions faced in the beautiful, unforgiving Primorye wilderness. One of the book’s strengths is the author’s now 22-year familiarity with the Primorye, a region he returns to every winter to continue his research and feed his soul.
Awards:
2021 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award; A Best Book of the Year: NPR, Wall St. Journal, Smithsonian; Best Nature Book of the Year: The Times (London); Notable Book of 2020, NY Times
Cost: $6–$16
If you would like to be included in monthly email reminders or to attend the meeting virtually, please email Elisabeth Swanson at elsswa@gmail.com or call her at (406) 570-8325. For other questions, you can email our other leader, Hilary Johnson, at ralphhilary@gmail.com or call her at (406) 599-1446.
Do you have a favorite title to share with SAS Book Club members?
Please send your suggestions to Elisabeth (elsswa@gmail.com) and Hilary (ralphhilary@gmail.com ) to add to the list of nominated books for the fall. April 21st is the deadline for submittals.
