This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Industrial Age and Modern era are on their way out, author Diane Ackerman argues, and a new era is just beginning. This time, though, the period is not characterized by the tools humans use, but by the impact our species is having on nature itself.
From the effect skyscrapers have on bird habitats and behaviors to the way an orangutan uses an iPad, Ackerman describes the so-called Anthropocene in a new book, "The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us."
On Friday at 12:15 p.m., Catherine Weller of Weller Book Works and Tribune features reporter Ellen Fagg Weist join Jennifer Napier-Pearce to talk about "The Human Age" during the Tribune's monthly book club discussion, Utah Lit.
Also, Ackerman joins Jennifer on Saturday at 6 p.m. as part of the Utah Humanities Book Festival keynote day. The event at the Salt Lake City Main Library is free and open to the public.
Watch this online video chat at sltrib.com. You can also join the discussion by sending questions and comments to the hashtag #TribTalk on Twitter and Google+ or texting 801-609-8059.
Twitter: @jnpearce