Crows Calling

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Greenleaf Book Group.

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Book club questions for Crows Calling by Bruce McConnell

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Crows Calling is, in part, a coming-of-age tale. What transformations does Luz undergo throughout the course of the book? Which character (human or planimal) did you feel was most influential in her growth?

Why do you think the author decided to position Koro as the narrator of the book? How did that impact your reading experience? Have you read other books narrated by non-human characters?

As a group, would you be willing to or interested in committing to the Elephant Code of Conduct? What revisions or additions would you like to make to the code of conduct, if any?

Who, or what, is the “villain” in Crows Calling?

The novel explores human-animal relationships, both in the context of people’s relationships with their pets and other domesticated animals, as well as with wild animals. What differences did you notice between these dynamics?

Pets hold a very special place in the hearts of the human characters in Crows Calling. Did the book make you think or feel differently about your pets?

During their congresses, some planimals express sympathy, patience, and understanding toward humanity’s climate destruction. Other planimals express anger and even a desire for revenge or retaliation. Which perspective resonated most with you, and why?

Would you agree that redemption and forgiveness are prominent themes in Crows Calling? Who, or what, is redeemed or forgiven over the course of the story? Do you believe they earned or deserved that redemption?

The characters, especially Luz and Makah, see communication and education as vital tools in protecting our natural world. How can you wield these tools–even in small ways–in your own life?

How realistic do you find the book's hopeful message?

Crows Calling Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Crows Calling discussion questions

“Crows Calling is a parable of wisdom and kindness . . . told through the eyes of the living world, a mind-altering journey that slips past our defenses and dualism, enveloping us in empathy for all creatures who face a faltering future. We are those creatures, too. You would be hard-pressed to find a more touching and emotionally resonant testament to the exquisite world we inhabit.” —Paul Hawken, The New York Times best-selling author of Carbon: The Book of Life

“Crows Calling offers hope in troubled times. Drawing from Native American wisdom, deep creativity, playful humor, and profound love for the planet and its myriad peoples, Bruce McConnell inspires us to think, dream, and take meaningful action to preserve our planet and its species while rekindling human connection to all living beings.” —Destiny Allison, author of Pipe Dreams, Bitterroot, Shaping Destiny, and The Romance Diet

“ . . . McConnell writes with a gentle subtlety that belies the work’s gravitas. Reading this piece was like watching a boulder being lifted with a feather’s touch. . . a serious gift from a person who occupies a front row seat to humanity’s collective choice process during an especially challenging moment. Crow’s Calling is not just a book. It is a treasure.” —Paul Richards, author of Wild Attraction

“ . . . a provocative story—in the best of ways. I’m feeling provoked to explore changing some of my own ways of living to help reduce our carbon footprint here on Grandmother Earth. My husband . . . has promised me a Three Sisters garden, replete with sunflowers.” —Diana Coe, Crone Communication

“Fiction allows us to imagine a better world, and McConnell does exactly that. Uncovering the connection between all living things and the environment, Crows Calling envisions a more sustainable future. It illuminates holistic solutions within our reach to address the planetary crisis.” —Alice Hill, co-author of Building a Resilient Tomorrow

“In Crows Calling, McConnell takes us into the potential for actually listening to and partnering with the living world for our shared survival. More than idealism, we’re drawn into how this challenges us in our family and community relationships as well. We experience a level of relationship with the ecosphere that will propel us beyond the technosphere and into the New Earth.” —Diane Tegtmeier, author of The Sacred Cell: What Nature Teaches Us About Relationships

“Is there really a line between the human and the ‘planimal,’ or nonhuman, worlds when it comes to global warming? In Bruce McConnell’s fascinating new book, Crows Calling, that line is very porous indeed. Our venerable narrator is Koro, a crow, well-versed in the mythic role of her species as ‘troublemakers, too clever for [their] own good.’ On the human side of the porous line are Luz, her family, and friends from among the First Peoples of Turtle Island. Crows Calling speaks the compelling language of interspecies communion that thrusts the reader into burning questions of life on Earth.” —Jim Gilkeson, award-winning author of The Eleven Directions of Kansas

“Crows Calling is such a positive story. I especially enjoyed the Monterey settings, the evolution of the characters and their strength and courage. When the lichen and the rocks chimed in amid the champagne surf, it became a paean, a lyrical song sung to the beauty of the earth.” —Christina Forbes Reynolds, Monterey artist and musician