September 2025 Reading - Eager by Ben Goldfarb

For the month of September 2025, we're reading the book "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter" by Ben Goldfarb.

“A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents…. A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world.”—The Washington Post

In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America’s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens—recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world’s most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it’s about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travelers on this planet.

---

Discussion Questions

1. How has your understanding of beavers changed now that you’ve read Eager? Would you now consider yourself a “Beaver Believer”?

2. What was your favorite beaver reintroduction story?

3. The subtitle of Eager informs the reader that they might find the story of beavers surprising. What was the most extraordinary fact about beavers you learned?

4. Author Ben Goldfarb has a way of weaving facts and humor into his writing. What do you think of his writing style? Why are books like Eager important?

5. Goldfarb has a knack for introducing his readers to precise new words. Have you ever felt solastalgia, which refers to the pain or distress caused by the loss of a comforting place; the sense of desolation people feel, consciously or unconsciously, when their home or land is lost (p. 239)?

6. Is there a cause or species you are as passionate about as the “Beaver Believers” are about Castors?

7. What parallels are there between wolves and beavers (see chapter “Wolftopia”), or other keystone species with a cultural carrying capacity?

8. What are your thoughts on the conflict between beavers’ biological imperatives that bring both chaos and ecological restoration, and human attempts to control the landscape?

---

You're invited to participate in the Wilderness Reading Group, led by the Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance (IPWA). We delve into topics related to the outdoors, nature, and wilderness through reading, contemplation, and discussion. We'll gain a deeper understanding of wilderness through fiction and non-fiction selections, including works by renowned authors such as Aldo Leopold, Timothy Egan, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Wallace Stegner, Terry Tempest Williams, Edward Abbey, E.O. Wilson, and others. Check out past readings on our Blog Reading list!

The reading group meets every other month, in person, in Boulder, Colorado. All are welcome (IPWA and the general public). Please RSVP. Even if you haven't finished the book selection, feel free to join us for informal conversations where we reflect on the book, answer discussion questions, and foster connections with each other.

These books are widely available at local libraries, online library apps (such as Libby), bookstores (including our favorite local independent bookstore, Boulder Bookstore), and online retailers.

Please consider joining us for an upcoming Reading Group gathering at the Rayback Collective, in Boulder, CO! We'll share our reflections about the book and our own experiences. All are welcome (IPWA and the general public). If the weather is good, we'll be at one of the picnic tables in the courtyard. Beverages and food are available from the Rayback Collection and various rotating food trucks.

Check out our Events page for upcoming dates!

September 25th, 2025 - "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter" by Ben Goldfarb - 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Rayback Collective in Boulder, Colorado - RSVP here