History Book Festival to host online talk with Sonia Shah Sept. 24
Author Sonia Shah will join a live online discussion at 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 24, about her new book, “The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move,” presented by the History Book Festival.
The idea that certain peoples and species belong in certain places can be tracked from the 18th century studies of Carl Linnaeus, to the eugenics movement of the 20th century, through the anti-immigration policies of today. Some analysts have historically considered any type of migration as unfavorable, upsetting the so-called natural order. But in the broad calculus of biological history, the benefits of movement have outweighed the drawbacks, according to Shah, who argues that the continuation of life on a changing planet depends on migration.
Sonia Shah is a science journalist and author of “Pandemic: Tracking Contagions from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond.” Her TED talk, “Three Reasons We Still Haven’t Gotten Rid of Malaria,” has been viewed by more than 1 million people.
Laurie S. Fulton will interview Shah. Fulton served as U.S. ambassador to Denmark from July 2009 to February 2013 and is co-chair of the Ambassadors Circle of the National Democratic Institute, a nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide.
This Zoom event is free but registration is required; go to historybookfestival.org and click on 2020 Events. The 2020 Virtual History Book Festival is presented in cooperation with the Lewes Public Library and sponsored by Delaware Humanities and the Lee Ann Wilkinson Group.
Copies of “The Next Great Migration” with signed archival bookplates are available from the festival’s official bookseller, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach. Biblion in Lewes also has copies. The festival encourages readers to support local independent bookstores. The book also may be borrowed from the Lewes Public Library; call 302-645-2733 or email lewes.library@gmail.com to arrange for curbside pickup.
The 2020 Virtual History Book Festival: Bring History Home will feature free weekly discussions through November. For the most up-to-date information on coming events, visit historybookfestival.org.
