SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARDS WINNER

Featured Events

Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 1:00, FREE & Open to the Public, for the San Diego Kiwanis at the Bristol Hotel at 1055 First Avenue, San Diego, California 92101. For further information, you may call 619-322-6818.
Saturday, July 17, 2010 - 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time: Bette will be interviewed on the Suncera Talk Radio Pod Cast Interview Show
Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 9:30, FREE & Open to the Public, for the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center at 1525 Fourth Avenue (at the corner of Beech Street), Downtown San Diego 92101. For further information, please call Gloria Torain, Activities Coordinator at 619-487-0739.
Friday, September 10, 2010, 1:30, FREE & Open to the Public, for the Rancho Bernardo Travel Club, 16789 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, California 92128. For further information, you may call 619-252-3720.
Friday, October 8, 2010, 1:30, FREE & Open to the Public, book signing from 3:00 -5:00 p.m. at the Old Town Gift Co. located at 4010 Twiggs St. San Diego, CA 92110.

Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders 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?