SciFri Book Club

Anchorage Public Library has partnered with Science Friday to bring the Sci Fri Book Club to the science and reading enthusiasts in our community. The SciFri Book Club is a program created by Science Friday to bring people together around all things science reading – anything from sci-fi short stories to nonfiction science books to science articles from various publications to science-y poetry!

There’s lots of ways to participate: Read the book, join our community space, attend an event, or send a message on the SciFri VoxPop app.

Join Here

This February, the SciFri Book Club is reading Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. 20,000 years ago, people crossed a land bridge from Siberia into Western Alaska and then dispersed southward into what is now called the Americas. No written records—and scant archaeological evidence—exist to tell us what happened or how it took place. Although many different models have been proposed to explain how the Americas were peopled, Origin tells the story based on a new and powerful kind of evidence: their complete genomes. The book provides an overview of what genetic evidence shows about the peopling of the Americas, and a glimpse into how these tools reveal details about human history and evolution.

Origin brings together a range of topics, including archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, history, genetics, and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.

Get the book from the Anchorage Public Library. Ebook and audiobook from the Alaska Digital Library.

This Book Club season kicks off Saturday, February 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:

February 1-9: Chapters 1-3
February 10-16: Chapters 4-5
February 17-23: Chapters 6-9
February 24-28: Final thoughts

Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.

There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can purchase a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), read an excerpt from the book, join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.

Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!

Origin: a Genetic History of the Americas
Wednesday, February 26
4 PM | Zoom

This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Origin. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, history, genetics, and more.

RSVP Here

Join us online for a livestream all about the science topics featured in the SciFri Book Club pick. Come with your queries and wonderings—we’ll be taking your questions in the livestream comments!

Origin: a Genetic History of the Americas
Monday, February 24
10 AM | Science Friday's YouTube Livestream

Join geneticist and anthropologist Jennifer Raff for a conversation about her 2022 book. Discover how scientists are weaving genetic evidence, archaeological findings, and Indigenous knowledge to reshape our understanding of human origins.

RSVP Here

This March, the SciFri Book Club is reading Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. This novel takes place over the course of one humid summer, as the urge to procreate overtakes the lush countryside. The protagonists—a reclusive wildlife biologist, a young farmer’s wife marooned far from home, and a pair of elderly, feuding neighbors—face disparate predicaments but find connections to one another and to the flora and fauna that surround them. Their discoveries highlight the intimate lessons of the natural world, and the interconnectedness of living things.

Prodigal Summer brings together a range of topics, including biology, ecology, climate science, agriculture, earth science, and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.

Get the Ebook or audiobook from the Alaska Digital Library. Audiobook always available on hoopla. You can also get a copy from your local bookstore.

This Book Club season kicks off Saturday, March 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:

March 1-9: Chapters 1-9
March 10-16: Chapters 10-15
March 17-23: Chapters 16-20
March 24-31: Chapters 21-31 + Final thoughts

Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.

There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can purchase a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.

Join the SciFri Book Club community forum here.

Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!

Prodigal Summer
Monday, March 31
4 PM | Zoom

This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Prodigal Summer. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about biology, ecology, climate science, agriculture, earth science, and more.

RSVP Here

Join us online for a livestream all about the science topics featured in the SciFri Book Club pick for March 2025. Come with your queries and wonderings—we’ll be taking your questions in the livestream comments!

Prodigal Summer
Tuesday, March 18
11 AM | Science Friday's YouTube Livestream

RSVP HERE