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TheBookHippie

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land | Monica Hesse

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#BookoftheMonthBuddyRead
#americanfire Question 3 #BOTMBUDDYREAD

MrsV, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, bookloo

Redwritinghood Hard to say. I don‘t think we‘ve seen enough of them to know for sure, but I think it was most likely thrill seeking. They lived in a small town that was in decline. 6y

MrsV I think they chose arson for the quick immediate release. The instant gratification. Plus the LOVED the whole “freak out” by the community by participating in the Facebook group. 6y

Onlaughterandliteracy I agree with @Redwritinghood (love the name 😂) that I don‘t feel like I know enough of them yet. I do think it has to do with the thrill though and possibly emotion. 6y

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Onlaughterandliteracy @MrsV oh! Yes! Instant gratification! Good observation 👏🏻 6y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks A fire can be started quickly and left by the arsonist to do its destruction. I do not think it‘s the thrill or fascination with the fire or they would start fires in areas so that they could watch. I think this will be an emotional reaction. They were both unpopular and felt unwanted at times in their lives so I think this will be their motivation. 6y

TheBookHippie @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Exactly. Outcasts . 6y

TheBookHippie @MrsV 🙌🏻🔥instant part of it is a great way to put that ! 6y

bookloo It could be all three! Pyromania is gaining pleasure from the act of lighting fires, so I assume thrill seeking is a big factor. And you get to share it with your “soul mate”? That‘s next level. No wonder why they can‘t stop. 6y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @bookloo great point!! 6y

AmyG @bookloo good point. Share with your "soulmate" in more than one way. The act and the secret only they share. False intimacy? (edited) 6y

bookloo @AmyG Yes! Exactly. 6y

TheBookHippie @bookloo Yup. All intoxicating and a huge rush! Good point! 6y

Suelizbeth I think it was a little bit of selfishness, too. This act was theirs together and no one else‘s. That would be thrilling. And no one knew that it was them. 6y

TheBookHippie @Suelizbeth That is a really good point. 6y

RebelReader I agree with @MrsV. They were looking for instant gratification and it had to be thrilling to participate in the Facebook banter. 6y

TheBookHippie @RebelReader That's all just brazen to me too!!! The fb talk! 6y

kspenmoll Everyone has great points- hard to join in so late. Sharing an intoxicating secret & getting a vicarious thrill? That seems like Tonya but maybe Charlie has bought in cause he loves her so much. 6y

TheBookHippie @kspenmoll I think Charlie was taken. I actually so far believe he is truly in love. 6y

kspenmoll @TheBookHippie I agree, think his big heart was in love. Not so with her I am thinking. 6y

TheBookHippie @kspenmoll I'm thinking she is incapable for some unknown reason ??? 6y

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TheBookHippie

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land | Monica Hesse

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Question ONE!!! #BOTMBUDDYREAD I am doing Questions 1 & 3 & final thoughts! @MrsV has Questions 2 & 4!!! We hope you enjoy our discussion time !!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥#BookoftheMonthBuddyRead

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, bookloo

MrsV I definitely think the rural setting helped. Less people around to see anything, especially considering the randomness of where the fires were set. 6y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks The vacant and abandoned buildings/homes definitely made it easier for the arsonists to commit their crimes unseen. Also they were liked members of the community, so that played into it as well. 6y

TheBookHippie I'm thinking as @MrsV The random of it being so vacant made it more simple ...being so well known I don't think they were suspect is probably helpful @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hadn't thought of that !! 6y

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Onlaughterandliteracy The setting absolutely is a factor. I was bothered at the beginning about the backstory of Accomack, but then I realized how important it was! 6y

bookloo Didn‘t the book state that there were thousands of abandoned homes in Accomack? I thought that was incredible, there‘s no way this could have been done in anywhere BUT a rural setting. 6y

TheBookHippie @Onlaughterandliteracy I felt the same way!!!! But the information we read, it sure comes in handy. 6y

Redwritinghood Definitely the large number of abandoned houses and the amount of space between them helped here. It made it much easier to find the right buildings and get away quickly. 6y

TheBookHippie @bookloo not for this long a time or so many.. I can't imagine ...makes me want to research to see if it has happened anywhere else! 6y

AmyG I wonder if the abandoned buildings didn't make it easier for the arsonists to start fires. They could rationalize it as....It's abandoned anyway, so nobody will be hurt and it's useless property. (edited) 6y

TheBookHippie @AmyG maybe so. 6y

Suelizbeth I agree with everyone about the ease and accessibility and when you factor in the history of how the houses became abandoned, it created the perfect firestorm. 6y

TheBookHippie @Suelizbeth The perfect storm affect for sure. Which is why the reading of all that history was important 6y

kspenmoll Like everyone said, it seemed like the perfect set up- abandoned building with miles between them, people leaving because of no industry, commerce- dying community. Perfect setting. 6y

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