pickExcellent, 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…”
pick16-26 Jan 24
Fearing she will never pay off her student loans, Nova Scotian Katie heads to the Canadian oil sands where there is plentiful work for high salaries. When she arrives it becomes apparent that she is one of a very small minority of women living in a place of toxic masculinity. She is at one point subject to sexual abuse and is constantly facing harassment, as are the few other women at the plants.
Beaton‘s comic-strip style is engaging
pickI've long loved Beaton's literary and historical comics, but I was not expecting the emotional resonance of Ducks. Beaton spent two years in Canada's oils sands as a means of paying down her college loans. She chronicles the isolation everyone feels in these far off camps and the unique horrors the few women that take these jobs on can face.
pickI recently reread this with a new eye for analysis; what a great book! Funny, insightful, and so many hidden and not-so-hidden names, symbols, themes, etc. It‘s a great examination of indigenous lives and the tug-of-war between heritage and modern society. A great read.
I definitely needed something far lighter in content after reading Catch and Kill so chose this one that‘s been sitting on my shelf since 2016. Already it‘s quite funny.
pickThis 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!
pickReally lovely graphic novel. Does a good job of showing nuanced views of a variety of complex issues. Liked the animation style.
pickAn 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...
