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5.0 out of 5 stars
Love of Nature, Public Interest, Robber Barons, Spiritualism, National Parks, the Forest Service, and a Horrible Wildfire, 24 Dec 2009
"Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens." --Genesis 19:24
This story has a little bit of everything: A compelling human drama of people up against the worst that nature can send, Forest Service and African-American heroes, noble service, invention, greed, corruption, Robber Barons, ruthlessness, Teddy Roosevelt, magnificent forests, conservation philosophies, political history, spiritualism, and deep depravity. I'm sure you'll never look at a forest the same way after reading this book.
I grew up near the national forests in the west and always considered it miraculous that so much wonderful forested land had been preserved for all to enjoy. Most people had far more respect for forest rangers than for any other government official.
I never knew where it all started. I do remember having dinner with one of Gifford Pinchot's grandsons many years ago and being impressed by the reverence shown for what the grandfather had done for the west. This book filled in the gaps.
Few people in the book come across unscathed. That made the book more appealing because it is realistic: Even those who do great good have their weaknesses, foibles, and create many problems for themselves and others.
Mr. Egan is a talented storyteller and he assembled this tale in a very effective way. I really enjoyed what he had to say.
The book opens with a mad rush to evacuate the women and children from Wallace, Idaho as a seemingly unstoppable wildfire descends . . . pushed forward by hurricane-force winds. Naturally, you'll race through the pages until you reach that point in the story again. You won't be disappointed when you do.
This story is so interesting that I feel compelled to be silent about the details, as though I was describing a thriller rather than a nonfiction book.
What a great book!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Two Stories, Much to Learn, Keeps You Longing for the Next Page!, 12 Oct 2009
In "The Big Burn", author Timothy Egan skillfully weaves the story of a massive August 1910 forest fire in Idaho and Montana into the histories of the U.S. Forest Service and the conservation movement. The book begins with its two leading characters, Theodore Roosevelt and his close friend, forester Gifford Pinchot. The reader who is unfamiliar with either of these two will receive a superficial biography which enables him or her to understand their roles in the forestry and conservation contribution to the Progressive Era. TR was the outdoorsman who strove to preserve natural resources and wilderness areas for future generations. Pinchot was the wealthy heir who invented the forestry profession and made it the cause of his life. It was Pinchot who taught TR how to protect virgin timber from the lumber industry. This book illustrates the forces and personalities which contended over the issues concerning the preservation or utilization of America's timber resources. Among those opposing TR and Pinchot were President William Howard Taft and timber interest defenders, Montana Senator William Clark and Idaho Senator Weldon Heyburn. The conservationists' disputes were not all fought against industrialists. Pinchot, who favored wise use of the forests, would even clash with his mentor, John Muir, who preferred uncompromising preservation.
After laying out the tale of the conservation efforts, Egan switches to stories of the settlers and Forest Rangers who fought against and live through or died in the Big Burn. These are stories of heroism and tragedy, survival and death.
The title says that this is about "Teddy Roosevelt & The Fire That Saved America." As I was reading about the fire, I wondered how he was going to tie this back into the saving of America. Egan brings the preservation of the Forest Service into the story by pointing out that the Big Burn made heroes of the Rangers, thereby increasing public support for funding and defeating the efforts of the industry and its political agents to destroy the Service which stood in the way of unfettered exploitation of the timber lands.
The writing is excellent. This narrative moves seamlessly from one story to another. You will always be longing for the next page.
Whether you are a devotee of the history of the Idaho-Montana region, Theodore Roosevelt, the Conservation Movement or the Progressive Era, this is a valuable addition to your library. Among my interests are Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era. Although I already knew much about those subjects before I began this book, I learned many new things and deepened my understanding. However familiar you are with these topics, you will learn much from this work.
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