Griffin Bay Bookstore, the San Juan Island Library, and the San Juan Historical Museum are co-sponsoring the launch of Boyd Pratt’s newest title, The Disputed Islands: Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Times in the San Juans 1850-1874 on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. at the Friday Harbor Grange Hall.

An American farmer shot an English pig, sparking a war over an international boundary. Explore the disputed islands through the ordinary lives of the multi-ethnic, polyglot communities that lived in the San Juans during this conflict: how these islanders made their homes, worked and socialized, and resolved their differences.

“The Disputed Islands” is the name that American government officials used to refer to the San Juans in the mid-1800s. This book examines how ordinary people lived their everyday lives in what developed into an extraordinary situation.

Boyd grew up spending summers on San Juan Island while living most of the year in Hawaii. He has a master’s degree in architecture, and local history and historic preservation are his passions. He serves as a trustee of the San Juan Island Library, where he formerly coordinated programs. He is active with several community organizations, including the San Juan Island Grange. His previous three books are Lime: Quarrying and Limemaking in the San Juan Islands, Island Fishing: History and Seascape of Marine Harvesting in the San Juan Islands amid the Salish Sea, and Island Farming: History and Landscape of Agriculture in the San Juan Islands.

Griffin Bay Bookstore is known for its excellent customer service. With a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff, shoppers can expect help finding what they are looking for. Griffin Bay invites browsing; invites you to explore, and mull over books and ideas, art and music, just like a good cultural hub should. In case you want to relax and chat, there’s fresh coffee, espresso, and tea in the café upstairs.