Merritt Library to host author of latest TNRL book club pick
The Thompson Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) has announced the latest selection in its One Book, One Community series. The program, described as a sort of digital book club where participants read and discuss a book at a time, will this time be represented by a local BC author.
The shared reading experience focuses on a scholarly paper by award-winning author and University of British Columbia (UBC) fellow Dr. Suzanne Simard. The Memoirs, titled Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest Details from the world’s leading expert on scientific discovery, family and grief. The influence of Simard’s work ranges from small logging settlements in BC to film productions in Hollywood.
“Dr. Simard hails from a logging family in Interior BC and has been a resident of the area for a long time,” reads a TNRL press release.
“More than 10 million people have viewed Simard’s TED conversationsand her work has influenced filmmakers such as James Cameron and his Tree of Souls avatar.”
The renowned scholar and New York Times bestselling author will visit the Merritt Library on April 28 to discuss her new memoir as part of the 2023 One Book, One Community (OBOC) program. The OBOC initiative started in 2022 Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, with the program encouraging TNRL patrons to read the selected book and discuss it in self-made groups using book club kits provided by the library.
This year’s election find the mother tree describes Simard’s personal and professional journey as the world’s leading scientist. TNRL said Simard’s pioneering work on symbiotic plant communication has real implications for sustainability and forest stewardship, a relevant issue in the Nicola Valley.
“Simard’s scholarly memoirs are a moving and personal journey of discovery,” the press release reads. “She brings us into the intimate world of trees and changes our understanding of forests – not just a source of wood or pulp, but an interdependent cycle of life. She teaches us how trees lead a social life, communicating and caring for each other via fungal networks, sharing nutrients and information. In the middle of the forest stands the oldest mother tree – the one that is in harmony with the others and nourishes them.”
Search for the mother tree is available to TNRL customers in a variety of reading formats at the Merritt Library or online by visiting www.tnrl.ca. Simard will visit the Merritt Library on April 28 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For details on events or to join a book discussion group, go to www.tnrl.ca/oboc.