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fictionwriter's review against another edition
4.0
Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot together created the National Forestry Service which has given us many of the natural landscapes Americans enjoy today. But many of the young rangers who signed on to patrol those forests lost their lives trying to control the wildfires of 1910. An informative and interesting book filled with personalities and historical detail.
jperronereader's review
4.0
Seeing how the Forest Service is struggling in this administration, the struggles go way back. Great telling of this historical event.
allaboutfrodo's review against another edition
4.0
In The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America, Timothy Egan reports on the fires that destroyed the forests of the American west in 1910 and on Theodore Roosevelt's determination to set aside the great national forests as a public trust. Egan also introduces us to Gifford Pinchot, the chief forester, and Ed Pulaski, another important name in the history of American forests and fires. He gives us background on the first forest rangers and describes how overmatched they were against a forest fire unlike any that had been seen before.
The Big Burn contains enough detail to tell the story but not so much as to become tedious.
I generally prefer fiction over nonfiction since I find it more diverting, but The Big Burn kept me interested. The descriptions of the people caught in the fires are particularly well written. The book was thoroughly researched and contains not only big facts but also the little personal notes about the people involved that bring history alive.
Many of the forest rangers were recent immigrants, and Egan touches on the prejudice and challenges that they faced. He notes that the Italians had a saying: "I came to America beause I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things. First, the streets weren't paved with gold. Second, they weren't paved at all. And third, I was expected to pave them."
If you enjoy historical nonfiction or are a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, I recommend The Big Burn.
The Big Burn contains enough detail to tell the story but not so much as to become tedious.
I generally prefer fiction over nonfiction since I find it more diverting, but The Big Burn kept me interested. The descriptions of the people caught in the fires are particularly well written. The book was thoroughly researched and contains not only big facts but also the little personal notes about the people involved that bring history alive.
Many of the forest rangers were recent immigrants, and Egan touches on the prejudice and challenges that they faced. He notes that the Italians had a saying: "I came to America beause I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things. First, the streets weren't paved with gold. Second, they weren't paved at all. And third, I was expected to pave them."
If you enjoy historical nonfiction or are a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, I recommend The Big Burn.
jlmarkoski's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.25
noreenceedee's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This is my fourth book by Timothy Egan and I thoroughly enjoy his nonfiction writing. He is adept at weaving historical events with personal stories that bring the history to life. I knew a little about Teddy Roosevelt and nothing about Gifford Pinchot or the wildfires that ravaged Washington, Idaho and Montana. I love learning In-depth details about events that were big stories at the time but that I had learned little or nothing about in US History class.
lmplovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
found it slow in parts, but overall an interesting look at a time period I am not that familiar with; includes some great quotes by Teddy Roosevelt that are as timely today as when he said them
sarah_e_t's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I did not know anything about this period of time but I found it fascinating to read about the start of the parks department and the fire of 1910. My family lives in California and the history of forest fire fighting was fascinating.
jrace's review against another edition
4.0
This ended up being the book I read on our Fall 2010 road trip. Tim Egan is one of my favorite writers, perhaps because he writes about things that are so close to my day to day life, in this case, the US Forest Service. This is the first detailed account I have read of the relationship between Gifford Pinchot and Teddy Roosevelt and it was fascinating. I was intrigued by the fact that the large fire the book centers on took place in the same year as the huge avalanches at Stevens Pass and Rogers Pass. I also found it interesting to comprehend TR setting aside 180 million acres of public land in a very short time. This event may have done as much to shape the American conservationist identity as any. If you like this, be sure to also consider Egan's books the Good Rain and the Worst Hard Time.