My mother, who maybe was also living in a world that she needed to escape from, read it to me the first time. It seems to be igniting a conversation around the Red Cross volunteers and the history of these women that makes me really proud that I got to be a small part of it.įavorite book you read as a child: “The Jungle Book.” I lived in a world I needed to escape from and that book taught me I could be Mowgli, if I wanted to be. The second reason I am so proud of this book is because it is honoring my mom and the women who served with her. I don’t know that I can write any better. Everything I have learned, everything I have wanted to accomplish with my work is in this book. One, I have spent my entire writing career learning how to write this book. I don’t think there is a writer I have read that has not influenced me in some way.īook you’re most proud of writing: I can only say “Good Night, Irene” for two reasons. LeGuin, Thomas McGuane, Annie Dilliard, Rudolfo Anaya, Leonard Cohen. The writers that most influenced you: My core influences are always Ursula K. Last book that kept you up at night: S.A. In advance of book club night, Urrea shares some of his favorite reads and diversions. Join us on Wednesday, July 19, when Luis Alberto Urrea discusses “ Good Night, Irene.” His bestselling novel is a story of friendship and sacrifice inspired by his mother’s service during World War II with the American Red Cross Clubmobile corps, a group nicknamed the Donut Dollies. Dunn, co-author of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, “will be a benchmark that every scientist and resource manager working in the region is going to want to keep within arm’s reach.” July book club He profiles Tom and Joanne Heindel, a pair of retired teachers who started with a little bird guide, and ended with a magnum opus coming later this year. Send an email to the meantime, here’s a California birding story to savor, this one from Times writer Louis Sahag ú n. The six-episode season is available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.īook clubbers, please share your favorite places to enjoy birds in SoCal and we’ll feature your comments in an upcoming newsletter. The show debuted in June after a year of production in locations including Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Alabama. Cooper also connects with the Audubon Society to visit the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, where more than 400 different species have been recorded, including tens of thousands of snow geese and sandhill cranes.

He explores the Prescott Preserve in Palm Springs, a former golf course being restored as a haven for bluebirds, flycatchers, egrets, and other species. Cooper’s new TV series, “Extraordinary Birder With Christian Cooper,” showcases SoCal’s wild spaces.

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