Friday, September 10, 2010

Book Giveaways in Blogworld (09-11-10 edition)

Note: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of I'd Know You Anywhere. Deadline is September 12. US only.

Brizmus Blogs Books is giving away your choice of 6 books. Deadline is September 12. International!

Cherry Mischievous is giving away the entire Shifter series! Deadline is September 12. International!

Graced with Books is giving away a bunch of books for Blogfest! Deadline is September 12. US only.
Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of Judgment and Wrath. Deadline is September 13. US only.

Radiant Light is giving away 2 copies of Blind Man's Alley. Deadline is September 13. US
only.

So Many Books, So Little Time is giving away a copy of Low Red Moon. Deadline is September 13. US only.

The Hiding Spot is giving away a copy of Clockwork Angel or City of Bones. Deadline is September 13. International!
Bloody Bookaholic is giving away a bookcase from CSN Stores. Deadline is September 15. US/Canada only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Lock and Key. Deadline is September 15. US only.
Passages to the Past is giving away a copy of Wolf Hall. Deadline is September 16. US only.

Fantastic Book Review is giving away a copy of Nevermore. Deadline is September 16. US/Canada only.

Two Little Dicky Birds is giving away a copy of the cookbook Jamie's Kitchen. Deadline is September 16.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Swan. Deadline is September 16. US only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Light of the Moon. Deadline is September 16. US only.

Fangtastic is having a huge Blogmania giveaway! Deadline is...probably the end of Blogmania on September 16, or September 17. US only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of the audiobook Wicked Appetite. Deadline is September 17. US/Canada only.
Paperback Dolls is giving away a copy of Dust. Deadline is September 18. US only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 2 copies of Last Night at Chateau Marmont. Deadline is September 18. US only.

Ellz Readz is giving away $120 to CSN Stores. Deadline is September 18. US/Canada only.

Jo-Jo Loves to Read is giving away Oogy. Deadline is September 18. US/Canada only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Edge of Winter. Deadline is September 18. US only.

Alison's Bookmarks is giving away When You Reach Me and a copy of Mockingjay. Deadline is September 18. US only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of The Human Bobby. Deadline is September 19. US only.

Readaholic is giving away 2 copies of The Darkest Edge of Dawn. Deadline is September 19. US only.

One Book at a Time is giving away a copy of The Summoning. Deadline is September 19. US only.

In which a girl reads is having a "humongous" giveaway! 3 winners, six books chosen from a group of twenty-five! Deadline is September 19. International!

Confessions of a Bookaholic is giving away a copy of Extraordinary. Deadline is September 20. US only.

Luxury Reading is giving away The Good Daughters. Deadline is September 20. US only.

Paranormal and Romantic Suspense is giving away 5 copies of Last to Die. Deadline is September 21. US/Canada only.

Just Jennifer Reading is giving away 3 copies of The Postcard Killers. Deadline is September 21. US/Canada only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook. Deadline is September 21. US only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away a copy of Mockingjay. Deadline is September 21. US only.

Bookhounds is giving away 5 copies of Last to Die. Deadline is September 22. US/Canada only.

Pirate Penguin's Reads is giving away a copy of Matched on behalf of Squeaky Books. Deadline is September 21. US/Canada only.

Novel Thoughts
is giving away a UK Edition of The Dark Divine on behalf of Squeaky Books. Deadline is September 22. US/Canada only.

Reading Teen is having a big back-to-school giveaway. Deadline is September 24. International!
Once Upon a Review is having a MEGA birthday giveaway! Deadline is September 25. International!

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of Gilded Lily. Deadline is September 25. US only.

Finding My Muse
is giving away The Disappearance. Deadline is September 25. International!
Looksie Lovitz is giving away a copy of The Scorch Trials. Deadline is September 25. US only.
The Wide World of All Things Cute and Cuddly is giving away 3 copies of Ah-choo! Deadline is September 26. US/Canada only.

Peeking Between the Pages
is giving away What We Have. Deadline is September 26. US/Canada.

Readaholic is giving away The Ovary Wars. Deadline is September 27. US/Canada only.

Bookin' with Bingo
is giving away 2 copies of The Good Daughters. Deadline is September 29. US only.
Looksie Lovitz is giving away Matched and The Virals as part of the Welcoming of Fall Giveaway! Deadline is September 29. International!
Tequila Reader is giving away 6 books to 3 winners in her massive 1000 follower giveaway! Deadline is September 30. International!

The Book Buzzer is having a big YA blogoversary giveaway! Deadline is September 30. US only.

Readaholic is having a Smart Chicks Surprise Pack! Deadline is October 1. US/Canada only.

Confessions of a Book Addict is giving away an autographed copy of Clockwork Angel. Deadline is September 30. International!

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer is giving away The Maze Runner. Deadline is October 3. US only.

All About {n} is giving away the first three books in the Vampire Academy series. Deadline is October 3. International!

All About {n} is giving away 2 copies of The Good Daughters. Deadline is October 10. US only.

*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration.

I Wanna...Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron is a prison unlike any other: Its inmates live not only in cells, but also in metal forests, dilapidated cities, and unbounded wilderness. The prison has been sealed for centuries, and only one man, legend says, has ever escaped.

Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, can’t remember his childhood and believes he came from Outside Incarceron. He’s going to escape, even though most inmates don’t believe that Outside even exists. And then Finn finds a crystal key and through it, a girl named Claudia.

Claudia claims to live Outside—her father is the Warden of Incarceron and she’s doomed to an arranged marriage. If she helps Finn escape, she will need his help in return. But they don’t realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost far more than they know.

Because Incarceron is alive.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Book Giveaways in Blogworld (09-04-10 edition)

Note: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:

A Good Addiction is giving away an ARC of Clockwork Angel. Deadline is September 6. US/Canada only.

The ABCD Diaries is giving away 3 copies of Ah-Choo. Deadline is September 6. US/Canada only.

Let's Just Give it Away is giving away 2 copies of Ah-Choo. Deadline is September 6. US/Canada only.

Let's Just Give it Away is giving away 2 copies of The Glamour of Grammar. Deadline is September 6. US/Canada only.

Carol in Print is having a massive ARC giveaway! Deadline is September 6. International!

Beth's Book Review Blog is giving away 3 copies of Eating Animals. Deadline is September 6. US/ Canada only.

Dark Faerie Tales is giving away 2 copies of Mockingjay. Deadline is September 7. US only.

Leslie Loves Veggies is giving away 2 copies of Mosaic Meals. Deadline is September 8. US/Canada only.

Heavenly Savings is giving away 3 copies of The Glamour of Grammar. Deadline is September 8. US/Canada only.

Just Jennifer Reading is giving away 5 copies of Desperate Deeds. Deadline is September 8. US/Canada only.

Leslie Loves Veggies is giving away 2 copies of Mosaic Meals. Deadline is September 8. US/Canada only.

Babbling Flow is having a massive ARC giveaway! Deadline is September 9. International!

The Book Vixen is giving away an autographed copy of Linger and signed bookmark! Deadline is September 10. US/Canada only.
Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of I'd Know You Anywhere. Deadline is September 12. US only.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3 copies of Judgment and Wrath. Deadline is September 13. US only.
Radiant Light is giving away 2 copies of Blind Man's Alley. Deadline is September 13. US only.
Bloody Bookaholic is giving away a bookcase from CSN Stores. Deadline is September 15. US/Canada only.

YA Book Shelf is giving away a copy of Mockingjay. Deadline is September 17. US/Canada only.

Paperback Dolls is giving away a copy of Dust. Deadline is September 18. US only.
In which a girl reads is having a "humongous" giveaway! 3 winners, six books chosen from a group of twenty-five! Deadline is September 19. International!
One Book at a Time is giving away a copy of The Summoning. Deadline is September 19. US only.


Readaholic is giving away The Ovary Wars. Deadline is September 27. US/Canada only.
Tequila Reader is giving away 6 books to 3 winners in her massive 1000 follower giveaway! Deadline is September 30. International!
Readaholic is having a Smart Chicks Surprise Pack! Deadline is October 1. US/Canada only.
A Journey of Books is giving away 2 copies of Cold Rock River. I can't find any deadline mentioned. US/Canada only.

*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Friday, September 3, 2010

I Wanna...If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende

Tiny Haines, Alaska, is ninety miles north of Juneau, accessible mainly by water or air—and only when the weather is good. There’s no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace, and funerals are community affairs. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for the local newspaper. If anyone knows the goings-on in this close-knit town—from births to weddings to funerals—she does.

Whether contemplating the mysterious death of eccentric Speedy Joe, who never took off his hat—not even for a haircut; researching the details of a one-legged lady gold miner’s adventurous life; observing the Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival; or ice skating in the shadow of glacier-studded mountains, Lende’s warm, folksy style brings us inside her busy life.We meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local lumber yard, their five children, and a colorful assortment of friends and neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fisherman, native Tlingit Indians, and volunteer undertakers, as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Introducing...The Queen's Pawn by Christy English

Introducing a book through its first chapter or so...

My mother died the day I was born. I now know that this was in no way unusual, but for the first years of my life, I felt quite singled out by the hand of God. She was a great loss to me, my first loss, though I never knew her. My nurse often told me that I have her bright eyes.

-- The Queen's Pawn by Christy English

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

CHALLENGE: Summer Break Reading Challenge (Completed)


Well, the Summer Break Reading Challenge hosted by KarinLibrarian has ended. Surprise, surprise! I actually satisfied my goal to read 4 books!
  1. The Good Son by Michael Gruber (I just started reading this one)
  2. Rooms by James L. Rubart
  3. The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
  4. Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield
Thanks for the challenge!

REVIEW: Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield

Synopsis

A moving tale of the triumph of the human spirit amidst heartbreaking tragedy, told through the eyes of a charming, impish, and wickedly observant Afghan boy

The Taliban have withdrawn from Kabul’s streets, but the long shadows of their regime remain. In his short life, eleven-year-old Fawad has known more grief than most: his father and brother have been killed, his sister has been abducted, and Fawad and his mother, Mariya, must rely on the charity of parsimonious relatives to eke out a hand-to-mouth existence.

Ever the optimist, Fawad hopes for a better life, and his dream is realized when Mariya finds a position as a housekeeper for a charismatic Western woman, Georgie, and her two foreign friends. The world of aid workers and journalists is a new one for Fawad, and living with the trio offers endless curiosities—including Georgie’s destructive relationship with the powerful Afghan warlord Haji Khan, whose exploits are legendary. Fawad grows resentful and worried, until he comes to learn that love can move a man to act in surprisingly good ways. But life, especially in Kabul, is never without peril, and the next calamity Fawad must face is so devastating that it threatens to destroy the one thing he thought he could never lose: his love for his country.

A big-hearted novel infused with crackling wit, Andrea Busfield’s brilliant debut captures the hope and humanity of the Afghan people and the foreigners who live among them.


About the Author

Andrea Busfield is a British journalist who first traveled to Afghanistan to cover the fall of the Taliban in 2001 as a reporter for the News of the World. She is now a full-time writer living in Bad Ischl, Austria. Born Under a Million Shadows is her first book.


Quick Facts for Andrea Busfield located on Macmillan Books:

Where are you from?
England.

Who are your favorite writers?
Louis de Bernieres, Colin Bateman, Joseph Heller, Barbara Kingsolver, Isabel Allende. To be honest I’m a pick n mix kind of reader.

Which book/books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
Birds Without Wings (Louis de Bernieres)
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

What are your hobbies and outside interests?
Music, friends, my family and my dog.

What is the single best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
“Don’t read beauty magazines – they will make you feel ugly.” Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann.

What is your favorite quote?
“All right, I'm coming out. Any man I see out there, I'm gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only gonna kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife, all his friends, and burn his damn house down.”—Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven.

What is the question most commonly asked by your readers? What is the answer?
Is this autobiographical?
No.

What inspired you to write your first book?
Love – for my boyfriend, and for a country that deserves so much more.

Where do you write?
On my lap on a laptop. I don’t have much furniture!


Five Books Andrea Busfield Can't Live Without:

An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Jason Elliot
Emergency Sex (and Other Desperate Measures): A True Story of Hell on Earth by Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait, and Andrew Thomson
Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines
Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon


My Thoughts
My name is Fawad, and my mother tells me I was born under the shadow of the Taliban.

Because she said no more, I imagined her stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark, crouching in a corner to protect the stomach that was hiding me, while a man with a stick watched over us, ready to beat me into the world.
This haunting excerpt is how we are introduced to Fawad.

Fawad is a charming boy. Smart, good-humored, brave and strong, you find yourself praying that life goes well for him. I mean, things are stacked against him, and you really want him to find a way to have everything he dreams of.

This book portrays the complex and dark beauty of Afghanistan's face, as well as its dark underbelly. At times you find yourself in awe at the kindness of the people, the love they have for their country, their humor and passion. At other times you cringe at the cruelty, the blatant disregard for humanity, the ugly complexity of their hierarchical and tribal society and its tenuous relationship with surrounding countries, primarily Pakistan.

This is a country that has spent much of its existence "occupied", under the rule of some governing power that is unwanted.
"...the Taliban fight goes on in the south against Afghans and foreigners; and in the streets the adults beat boys, the boys beat smaller boys, and everyone beats donkeys and dogs." (p. 60-61)
"My mother told me that when the Taliban originally came marching from the south to lay claim to Kabul, they were welcomed like saviors. The capital had become a city of rubble after the Russians left because the victorious mujahideen had turned on one another, fighting like dogs over a piece of meat-- and Kabul was that piece of meat. In the chaos and confusion of civil war, crime was everywhere; shops were made to pay special taxes, homes were taken, people were murdered, and their daughters were raped. But when the Taliban came, it all stopped. Order was brought, and the people were grateful. However, as Spandi's father said, you cannot know a man's real intentions in only one night, and over the years the Taliban showed their true colors. They stopped women from working, they wouldn't let girls go to school, they roamed the streets beating people with sticks, they jailed men with short beards, they banned kite flying and music, they chopped off hands, they crushed people under walls, and they shot people in the football stadium. They had freed Afghanistan from war, but they locked up our people in a religion we no longer recognized..." (p. 46-57)

There is such a dichotomy in the rich tapestry of Afghanistan. I just can't get over the complexity found in its simplicity. Or is it simplicity in its complexity? My mind is shaky with exhaustion in trying to wrap itself around it.

This story has a wealth of wonderful characters, from housemates Georgie, James and May, streetmates Spandi and Jamilla, the dark and tormented beauty of Haji Khan (who himself could represent for me the country of Afghanistan), the hope of Shir Ahmad, the quirky and endearing character of Pir Hederi, and even Pir the Madman.

One thing of note was the way that Fawad's own mother practically disappears from the picture for much of the story. After an illness takes her away for a time, you barely hear of her any further, even after she returns, until the end of the story. Fawad spends his time with Georgie and some of the other supporting characters. It kind of reminded me of what you see happen in many TV shows. There will be a storyline, like a baby being born into the family, but once the storyline plays out and the baby is born, it seems to sort of disappear. You don't see it anymore nor hear too much about it (anyone remember the TV show Friends? That's what happened after Rachel had her baby.) So Fawad's mother becomes an inconsequential character about halfway through the story. But I guess that's okay. After all, this is Fawad's story. And I can understand why this happened. His mother is not as integral a character, and if Fawad were an adult, her absence would go unnoticed. However since he is a child, I found her absence from his story striking, but perhaps necessary in order to keep her from clouding his story with motherly pursuits (as mothers are wont to do).

At the end of the book that I received there was an interview with the author Andrea Busfield. She shared some startling statistics and striking imagery of Afghanistan.
  • Afghanistan has the world's second-highest infant mortality rate.
  • The average life expectancy is forty-four.
  • Abject poverty and the image of a child walking barefoot in the snow.
  • There is no "dating" social life in Afghanistan. Marriages are typically arranged by the family, and "dating" would be forbidden.
Yet the author speaks so fondly of the country and its people. "It would be hard to find a more hospitable place on earth than Afghanistan."

She says in her interview:
"...I wanted to capture the beauty found there-- the fun, the laughter, the love. Therefore, I opted for a romantic plot and decided it should be narrated by a hero who was still young enough to see the good in life-- and bounce back from tragedy."

And when asked what she hopes her readers take away from this novel, she replies:
"Ultimately, that Afghans are deserving of our continued support-- and as the last page turns that they discover a little piece of Afghanistan in their hearts."
Mission accomplished-- on all accounts.

In the end, I'm left with hope. Hope for Fawad and the realization of his dreams, hope for Jamilla and her happiness and freedom from the tyranny of men, hope for impossible romance, hope for compassion amidst such cruelty and beauty amid such horror-- hope for Afghanistan.

Andrea Busfield-- I think I'm in love with you...


My Rating: 9.5 out of 10

(My thanks to Jason of Holt, Henry & Company for the book in exchange for my honest review.)

What's Releasing? (09-01-10 edition)

Available the week of 9/7/10:

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

In New Orleans, immortal Amazon warrior Samia is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she’s ever faced before.








Ape House by Sara Gruen

Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships—but unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.

Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn’t understand people, but animals she gets—especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she’s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what’s really going on inside.

When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and “liberating” the apes, John’s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime, one he’ll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Then a reality TV show featuring the missing apes debuts under mysterious circumstances, and it immediately becomes the biggest—and unlikeliest—phenomenon in the history of modern media. Millions of fans are glued to their screens watching the apes order greasy take-out, have generous amounts of sex, and sign for Isabel to come get them. Now, to save her family of apes from this parody of human life, Isabel must connect with her own kind, including John, a green-haired vegan, and a retired porn star with her own agenda.

Ape House delivers great entertainment, but it also opens the animal world to us in ways few novels have done, securing Sara Gruen’s place as a master storyteller who allows us to see ourselves as we never have before.


Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.


Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls

"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls’s no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town—riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette’s memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds—against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn’t fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa or Beryl Markham’s West with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.


The Thorn (Rose Trilogy Series #1) by Beverly Lewis
Lancaster County, with its rolling meadows and secret byways, may seem idyllic, but it is not without its thorns. THE ROSE TRILOGY is the stirring saga of two Amish sisters on the fringes of the church, and the unforeseen discoveries that change their lives. Rose Kauffman, a spirited young woman, has a close friendship with the bishop's foster son. Nick dresses Plain and works hard but stirs up plenty of trouble too. Rose's sister cautions her against becoming too involved, but Rose is being courted by a good, Amish fellow, so dismisses the warnings. Meanwhile, Rose keeps house for an English widower but is startled when he forbids her to ever go upstairs. What is the man hiding? Rose's older sister, Hen, knows more than she should about falling for the wrong man. Unable to abandon her Amish ways, Hen is soon separated from her very modern husband. Mattie, their young daughter, must visit her father regularly, but Hen demands she wear Amish attire--and speak Pennsylvania Dutch, despite her husband's wishes. Will Hen be able to reestablish her place among the People she abandoned? And will she be able to convince Rose to steer clear of rogue neighbor Nick?


The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan

On the afternoon of August 20, 1910, a battering ram of wind moved through the drought-stricken national forests of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, whipping the hundreds of small blazes burning across the forest floor into a roaring inferno that jumped from treetop to ridge as it raged, destroying towns and timber in the blink of an eye. Forest rangers had assembled nearly ten thousand men- college boys, day workers, immigrants from mining camps- to fight the fire. But no living person had seen anything like those flames, and neither the rangers nor anyone else knew how to subdue them.

Egan narrates the struggles of the overmatched rangers against the implacable fire with unstoppable dramatic force. Equally dramatic is the larger story he tells of outsized president Teddy Roosevelt and his chief forester, Gifford Pinchot. Pioneering the notion of conservation, Roosevelt and Pinchot did nothing less than create the idea of public land as our national treasure, owned by and preserved for every citizen. The robber barons fought Roosevelt and Pinchot’s rangers, but the Big Burn saved the forests even as it destroyed them: the heroism shown by the rangers turned public opinion permanently in their favor and became the creation myth that drove the Forest Service, with consequences still felt in the way our national lands are protected- or not- today.


Also available this week: