Welcome to Litsy!

Non-fiction narratives are easier to understand with the context given for real life events. This book is written in three parts, the first being origin stories about how the community grew to its size/wealth due to what lay beneath the ground. The second section is the recount of the 2016 fire, and the third section covers science that makes sense after reading the Fire Weather and contextualizes other climate issues due to the warming of Earth.

This gripping book recounts the devastating 2016 fire that ravaged Fort McMurray, a remote town in the boreal forests of Alberta, Canada, that owes its existence to petroleum. As global temperatures rise and fire behaves in ways humanity has never previously encountered--devouring entire houses in mere minutes, forming tornadoes of fire--the true cost of fossil fuel consumption rises higher and higher. A timely and terrifying call to action.

Slow to post of late, but really enjoyed this, as I have most Pulitzer winners. Lots of science and history here, but Vaillant managed to weave it with several boots-on-the-ground stories of people affected by the largest wildfire to date in Fort McMurray, Canada. He tries not to end on a doom and gloom note, but I‘d still say this isn‘t exactly a light “summer read”.

An excellent book describing the science, history and politics surrounding forest fires. Vaillant gives a gripping account of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire in Canada, and explains how climate change has led to an increase of such fires.

I highly recommend the audiobook version.

#AwesomeApril @Andrew65

Excellent, page turning description of the development, physics, chemistry, weather, evacuation and defending the city from the Canadian fire in 2016. The explanation of how hot the fire was, how it moved, and the citizens‘ reactions was so good. For me, the last 1/4 of the book lost a little momentum, but that could be because the first 3/4 was so good.

Chapter 1
“If a tree burns in the forest and nobody sees it…”

This is an excellent audiobook! The author uses the catastrophic, unprecedented Canadian fire that hit Fort McMurray to frame the narrative. This illustrates how and why fires are burning out of control in our current climate. Asides on the weather, the climate crisis, scientists studying this, firefighters, insurance companies, and policy makers—both historical and current all feature for an educational yet entertaining read. Scary stuff!

#12Booksof2023 ⭐️ Favorite Audiobooks ⭐️

An absorbing history of oil, fire, Fort McMurray, climate science, and the corporate and political backlash to the science, as well as an intense retelling of the experiences of Fort McMurrayites in the fire of 2016, this is an in-depth and engaging, vitally important book. It is also terrifying (I think I would have been okay without ever knowing about FIRE TORNADOES), sad, stark, and honest. Cont'd in comments...

#Naturalitsy

The Baillie Giifford prize winner for non-fiction announced. Have you read it?

https://www.thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk/

For the nonfiction NBA list, the upper 5 are their shortlist and the circled are mine. This was the hardest one for me to whittle down, as I want to put the King bio in the top 5 but can‘t make it fit. I‘d love to see Fire Weather win this one. Overall, this is a really solid list.

Here they are, the National Book Awards nonfiction longlist books! I‘ve read the tagged and can attest it is indeed fantastic. I have 2 others and just picked up 2 more from my library. I can‘t wait to read this whole list!

https://www.nationalbook.org/2023-national-book-awards-longlist-for-nonfiction/

Equal parts fascinating and terrifying. I don‘t know what 2024‘s #CanadaReads theme is, but I‘m already hoping this wins.

A timely & horrifying book. Vaillant depicts with intensity & vividness the 2016 wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta that overtook the city. He described the hours leading up to it in great detail & I almost felt sick knowing what was coming. The picture inserts has one from someone who took it from his car as he & his family fled the town, & it was an infernal scene. The latter half of the book outlines our economic system's path of destruction.

People. Somehow the wrong ones are always the loudest.

(This book is eye-opening.)

Riveting account of the 2016 Fort McMurray fire. Scary stuff. And there‘s only more to come. Thanks to climate change and the increased flammability of our world “there‘s never been a better time to be a fire.”

Friday Reads July 21: trans poetry; wildfires; wild flowers; hornets; art; sprinkle dyeing, knitting, etc

https://youtu.be/dliQwlnKikI

In 2016, a climate change-fueled fire ripped through Fort McMurray, Alberta, driving over 88,000 people from their homes and wreaking catastrophic damage. The urban fire it is most similar to is the firebombing of Hamburg in WWII. Vaillant includes a primer on bitumen, some science on climate change, and comparison with other recent fires as he tells the story. This book is absolutely phenomenal, my best NF of the year so far.