Join us at 7p.m., Thursday May 11th at Fact and Fiction for a reading with Eli Francovich from his new book, The Return of Wolves.
After being nearly eradicated in the 1990s, the gray wolf has made an astonishing comeback in Washington state, delighting conservationists but infuriating ranchers. For journalist Eli Francovich, there is perhaps no better metaphor for the fundamental tension in contemporary American behavior. In his new book, The Return of Wolves, Francovich combines interviews, extensive research, and on-the ground reporting to reveal the deep social and political fissures at the core of this debate.Ultimately, he endeavors to find a solution that will appease both parties—and perhaps mend an ever-widening division in American culture. As he covered the wolf’s reintroduction in The Spokesman-Review, Francovich found that the public’s passionate response revealed a more complex underlying story. It was clear this was not just a fraught issue, but a microcosm of American politics: a study in what happens when questions of science are pit against questions of belief. Determined to find common ground, Francovich sought the input of local ranchers, politicians, environmentalists, and everyday folks caught in the middle, ultimately finding an answer in the time-honored tradition of range riding.By communicating with folks from all walks of life, he comes to realize that our political climate, much like the precarious ecosystems of wolves,is a delicate dance of compromise, sacrifice, and a desire to survive. In The Return of Wolves, Francovich sinks his teeth into the topic of wolf conservation and what it can teach us about our society. As he says,“striking a balance in wolf land would go a long way toward kneading the dough of society back together.”
Eli Francovich is a journalist who covers the environment, conservation and outdoor recreation in Washington for the Spokesman-Review, the state's second-largest newspaper. His work has been published in the Seattle Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer and elsewhere. He lives in Spokane, Washington.
