When Susan Zakin first published her history of the American environmental movement, Bill Clinton had just assumed the presidency and seemed poised to reverse 12 years of Republican policies openly hostile to the ideals of environmental protection and stewardship of the earth. Now, with America in crisis, accelerating and potentially irreversible global climate change, and a former coal lobbyist currently in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency, Zakin is back with an updated edition of Coyotes and Town Dogs, her rollicking account of the radical men and women behind Earth First! and the running conflicts with their more traditional buttoned-down counterparts in the lobbying suites of Washington, D.C.

This longstanding rivalry between visionaries and pragmatists takes on a new and pressing significance in an era when tribal strife has exposed the fragility of America’s democracy. Zakin’s lyrical account of this overlooked aspect of American history follows the arc from the early days of firebrand John Muir to current efforts to link workers’ rights and environmental protection, and in a new Afterword, charts a course forward for all Americans concerned for the fate of the earth.

The event takes place on Wednesday, September 5, 2018, from  7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Association, 110 East 6th St. in downtown Los Angeles. The program is free and open to the public. Parking is available at 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles.

Books will be available for purchase. For more information about the book, please visit www.coyotesandtowndogs.org.

RSVP to spjlosangeles@gmail.com.