Register 11 Seats Remaining

History Book Discussion Group

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan

Absolutely pristine, cut off from all other bodies of water in the world, the Great Lakes suffered mightily following their discovery by Europeans, and especially since the building of the Erie Canal.

The Great Lakes had been cut off from the rest of the world ever since the last Ice Age. They supported their own unique flora and fauna, their own stable ecosystem, for thousands of years. That all changed with the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th century, but especially with the building of the Erie Canal, which resulted in the introduction of invasive species from all over the world--and the destruction of the Great Lakes’ ecosystem, a catastrophe it has never recovered from. Egan’s book describes not only the stages of this catastrophe as well as the measures state and federal governments have undertaken over the last 200 years to restore balance to the Great Lakes. Spoiler alert: there have been many failures, but also some rays of hope. Death and Life of the Great Lakes was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Upcoming events