“The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America,” by nationally known, award-winning author Timothy Egan, tells an epic story of the largest-ever forest fire in America and the tragedy that cemented Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy in the land.

Whether you are a history lover, outdoor enthusiast, conservationist, or just live in North America, this spellbinding account of the Great Fire of August 1910 is a great read. The story is true historic journalism, with the tale told through the men and women who experienced it.

The blaze burned 3 million acres. It raged across Washington, Idaho and Montana for 36 hours, and killed at least 80 people. Egan’s account shows how the disaster transformed the mission of the U.S. Forest Service.

The eclectic fire crew of forest rangers approached 10,000 men – including true forest rangers, college students and recent graduates, and immigrants from mining camps. The fire quickly proved the stronger and more forceful competitor.

The story shares the fire’s distruction of the forest, while connecting it to the political landscape of the times. Egan provides significant insight into President Teddy Roosevelt and Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot’s personal lives and devotion to forest creation and protection. They truly pioneered the concept of conservation.

Ultimately the disaster turned public opinion in favor of natural resources as public resources.

The book won a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award (2009) and a Washington State Book Awards (2010).

Overview About the Author Discussion Questions

Beyond the Book

1 The Pierce County READS’ book title is “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America.” Do you think that it is accurate to say that the Big Burn saved America? In what way?

2 The catastrophic fire that was the Big Burn killed many people and leveled entire towns. The book shares stories of heroism and bravery. Describe one of the heroes and how their actions impressed or inspired you.

3 America’s national parks have been called national treasures. Did learning about their political formation change or enhance your feelings or awareness of national parks? Do you feel more protective or appreciative of U.S. national parks and forests after reading this book?

4 Are you surprised by the political struggle President Roosevelt had in establishing national parks?

5 If Roosevelt had failed in his bid to form the Park Service, do you think that it would be possible to introduce a program today to establish national parks and forests? Why or why not?

6 The Gifford Pinchot National Forest, located in Washington, is one of the oldest national forests in the U.S., established in 1897 and named posthumously after Pinchot in 1949. Did you know who Gifford Pinchot was before reading this book? What will you remember the most about him?

7 Gifford Pinchot said, “The Conservation movement had grown from a series of disjointed efforts into the most vital single question before the American people” (p. 135). How does that sentence apply to the green movement of our culture today?

Timothy Egan is the author of six books. He is an online op-ed columnist for The New York Times. Egan is a regular contributor to BBC Radio, featuring a series of essays on American life.

Previously Egan worked as a national correspondent for the Times.

He is an award-winning author, garnering a Pulitzer Prize (as part of a team of New York Times reporters for their series “How Race is Lived in America”), National Book Award and Pacific Northwest Booksellers award.

Egan graduated from the University of Washington and holds an honorary doctorate of letters from Whitman College and an honorary doctorate from Willamette University.

He lives in Seattle.

The

BIG BURN Teddy RoosevelT & The

FiRe ThaT saved ameRica

BY TIMOTHY EGAN

“Breaking Blue” NW 364.1523 EGAN

One man’s hunt, through a half century of Spokane area police cover-ups, unlocks the secret behind the nation’s oldest continuing murder investigation.

“The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest”NW 979.5 EGAN

Observations of nature, conservation and history throughout Washington, Oregon and southern British Columbia interweave with personal experiences and conversations.

“Lasso the Wind: Away to the New West”978 EGAN

Through travels by car and foot, horseback and raft, Egan paints an enlightening and entertaining portrait of the new West constantly at odds with the old, and eloquently captures the American West in all its promise, pain and glory.

“The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl”978.032 EGAN

The voices of the people, those who played out the drama in this ecological disaster that rapidly disfigured whole communities, tell the story of endurance and heroism against the backdrop of the Great Depression.

“Wild Seattle: a Celebration of the Natural Areas In and Around the City”NW 917.9777 DONNELL

Explores the incredible natural treasures to be found within a 90-minute drive from downtown Seattle. Egan’s evocative text complements more than 130 stunning full-color images of wildlands, parks, and preserves by renowned nature photographers Terry Donnelly and Mary Liz Austin. Longtime conservationist Doug Scott highlights the efforts – both past and present – to protect the area’s natural habitats in the face of rampant urban growth.

Photos courtesy USFS Region One Archives.

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Other Books by the Author – Nonfiction

“The Winemaker’s Daughter”EGAN

While trying to protect the Seattle waterfront from development, Brunella Cartolano finds her father’s vineyard east of the Cascade Mountains enduring the worst drought in history. Water becomes the target of greed and the source of treachery. When a wildfire roars out of control and kills a squadron of firefighters, the lack of water becomes more urgent.

BEYOND THE BOOKOverview • About the Author

Discussion Questions • Other Books by the Author

Other Books by the Author –Fiction

PCLS 2/11 (4.5M)