6/9/2023 0 Comments The Big Burn by Timothy EganThen the scene shifts to New York, where then-Gov. The mayor tries to organize an orderly evacuation of women and children that is thwarted when cowardly men force their way onto the escape train. Forest Service tries to arrange for the safety of his family. Ranger Ed Pulaski of the newly formed U.S. The book begins in medias res, with the firestorm descending on Wallace, Idaho. And the portraits of people, from Teddy Roosevelt on down to a salty mountain woman, are multi-dimensional, with the exception of some corrupt Congressmen and robber barons. What jumps out immediately is Egan's mastery of the subject. Timothy Egan, who won a National Book Award for his account of the Dust Bowl, has done it again, with a book that examines the famous fire, the events leading up to it, and its legacy. When told well, it can be compelling.įortunately, The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & the Fire that Saved America falls into the latter category. When told badly, history can be the driest of reads. The national disaster in question is the Big Burn of 1910, the largest wildfire in American history, which destroyed trees and whole cities in Montana, Idaho and Washington state. These headlines, though they certainly sound familiar, refer to events in the United States soon after the turn of the 20th century. U nprecedented national disaster helps to redefine America
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |