The Arthur Johnson Memorial Library (AJML) Book Club is hosting the NEA Big Read book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, by Mary Roach, for its first book of 2026. We invite the community to participate in the reading and discussion!

Pick up your copy of the book at the AJML starting on January 2nd so you can read and prepare for the discussion at the book club on February 19th at 5:30 p.m. that will be held at the Colfax Ale Cellar.

MORE ABOUT FUZZ:

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as  New York Times  best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. Continue reading here.

NEA BIG READ GRANT

The Arthur Johnson Memorial Library (AJML) is working with community partners and organizations in 2026 to bring "Big Read" activities, workshops, and events to the community through the shared reading of the book "Fuzz". We will explore the themes of human-wildlife conflict and coexistence entered on Mary Roach’s Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law. This humorous and thought-provoking book explores human-wildlife conflict and coexistence, a fitting theme for the mountain and mesa communities of northern New Mexico, where encounters with bears, mountain lions, and other wildlife are common.

From March through June, there will be a series of reading, creative writing, arts, and media workshops in addition to nature walks and tours that will be held through partnerships with local and regional organizations and artists, encouraging participants to reflect on the book’s themes and engage in creative expression.

The project culminates in a public film screening and panel discussions in Raton's historic Shuler Theater, offering a platform for participants to share their work and insights. This wrap-up event will highlight the power of literature, creativity, and conversation in fostering a deeper understanding of nature and our place in it. The program concludes on June 27, 2026.

Contact the host of NEA Big Read - AJML Book Club