On Tuesday, September 25th the WTS Boston DEI Committee hosted the second book club meeting of 2024. The subject book was The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough.

Attendees included both new and returning readers. It was great to see folks from previous book clubs to allow discussion of recurring themes across books.

Discussion topics included driving reasons for building the Panama Canal in the first place, reasons behind large infrastructure projects in more modern times, such as the Big Dig, and how those reasons evolved over time.

The driving force of Capitalism was a crucial piece of this story. We still live in a capitalist society. The conversation included obvious evolutions since this time period like the decreased human toll and slave labor on major projects, but also consideration of areas that still require significant progress.

The purpose of these book clubs is to create a space where folks can have productive dialogue with other people in their industry. The books are meant to serve as a centerpiece of conversation, but conversation often naturally progresses into topics outside of the book content. We look forward to welcoming new people to our next book club meeting in December, where we will discuss Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende.

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