SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARDS WINNER

Featured Events

Saturday, June 2, 2012 @ 11:00 a.m., Bette will launch a Galapagos Learning Center at the North University Community Branch Library at 3320 Judicial Drive, San Diego 92122. The center, which will be displayed for several weeks, will demonstrate the uniqueness and fragility of the islands. Bette will be available to answer questions and sign books. For further information, call librarian Trevor Jones at 858-581-9637.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 @ 6:00 p.m., Bette will do a reading and show slides on the islands at the North Park Branch Library at 3795 31st Street, San Diego 92104. For further information, call librarian Matthew Nye at 619-533-3972.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 @6:00 p.m., Bette will do a reading and show slides on the islands at the Ocean Beach Branch Library at 4801 Santa Monica Avenue, San Diego 92107. For further information, call librarian Matt Beatty at 619-531-1532.

Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or ask for it at your favorite independent bookstore !

Questions for Book Club Discussions

Why did the author delay her dream for so many years? How did the delay either enhance or take away from her ultimate enjoyment of the journey? Would the trip have had the same impact had she taken it when she was a young mother?
Share one of your "passive obsessions," a dream you have yet to realize and why you have procrastinated. What are the major barriers to your dream fulfillment? What does the author's procrastination show you about your own dreams and aspirations?
Which characters in the book are most vivid? Explain your answer.
Discuss the author's daughter Suzanne's view of a naturalist guide's responsibility. Do you agree or disagree with her? Why?
Many people advised the author to begin her story with her arrival on the islands. Why didn't she take their advice? Was her decision a good one? Explain.
Why did the author subtitle her book A Personal Evolution?
What were the most enjoyable parts of the book? Explain why they were meaningful to you. What is the most important thing you learned?
How should this book be catalogued? As a book on travel, nature, science, or memoir? Explain your answer.
The author tells you she is not a scientist. Does her layperson status enhance or detract from the authenticity of the book? How does she compensate for her lack of scientific expertise?
What does the author mean when she talks about "conflict among plants"? What similarities and differences do plants, animals, and people experience in their struggle for survival?
What is the author's relationship with Charles Darwin? How and why is the great scientist an intricate part of this book?
What is the most poignant part of the book? Explain your choice.
The author voices her concern over danger to the islands and to our Earth in general. Discuss the conservation issues raised in the book. Why does the author say she should have bought a T-shirt from the vendors on Santa Cruz? What difficult decisions must governments and people make to meet the needs of wildlife and human beings?