Prophecy and Pandemic with Betsy Gaines Quammen & David Quammen

Bozeman authors Betsy Gaines Quammen and David Quammen will live-stream a discussion, “Prophecy and Pandemic: Spillover and religious responses to Covid-19,” on the coronavirus outbreak and the dangers of misinformation and religious conspiracy on Thursday, April 23 at 7 pm on David Quammen’s Facebook page.

Betsy is the author of the newly released “American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West,” and since her book tour has been postponed, the Quammens thought it would be fun — and also perhaps useful at this hard, crazy time — to talk about both of their books and how they intersect at this moment.

David, one of the nation’s pre-eminent science journalists who wrote “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Pandemic,” will cover the topic of disease outbreak, and Betsy will talk about misinformation and religion and how these impact responses to the pandemic:

“Nevada’s Bundy family, who are Mormon, are currently agitating against disease related restrictions,” she writes. “What does it mean and what does it cost, in the midst of a pandemic, when sectors of our population believe science is a hoax? Additionally, what can it mean if COVID-19 is used by the federal government to consolidate power and disrupt democracy, like Ammon Bundy, and many others, currently contend?”

Terry Tempest Williams calls American Zion “A magnificent portrait of complexity, interrogating the collision between frontier thinking and the rising consciousness toward the climate crisis on public lands. Brilliant and electrifying.”

To view the event, go to David Quammen’s Facebook page beginning at 7 pm on April 23: https://www.facebook.com/davidquammenauthor/. You do not have to have a Facebook account in order to watch.

The Quammens’ books will be available for purchase online from Elk River Books ahead of the event and afterwards at shop.elkriverbooks.com. David and Betsy will sign copies for those readers who desire it, and Elk River will provide both pickup and delivery options.