Explore America's Ecological Past: Join the Libby Library's Digital Book Club Featuring 'Wild New World'

\'Wild New World,\' a book that examines the historical interactions between humans and animals in North America, will be featured in the Libby Big Library Read from May 9 to May 23, 2024. Written by Dan Flores, the book has received the 2023 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award and the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature. It explores the long-term ecological changes on the continent due to migrations of various species, including humans.

The book starts with a 1908 discovery in Folsom, New Mexico, where a cowboy found remains of an extinct giant bison, indicating early human activity in America and its effects on native species. Flores examines the ecological history of North America, focusing on the impact of human arrival on the natural environment.

Flores combines genomic science, evolutionary biology, and environmental history to describe the relationships between humans and key North American animals like mammoths, horses, wolves, and bison. He discusses how these interactions have affected the continent's biodiversity.

Furthermore, the book discusses the 'Sixth Extinction,' connecting current biodiversity issues to historical human actions and attitudes. Flores critiques the ideologies and economic factors that led to the exploitation and near extinction of many species, reflecting on the human legacy in North America.

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