Description

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A fascinating look at the most destructive wildfires in American history, the impact of climate change, and what we're doing right and wrong to manage forest fire, from a National Book Award finalist. Perfect for young fans of disaster stories and national history.

Wildfires have been part of the American landscape for thousands of years. Forests need fire--it's as necessary to their well-being as soil and sunlight.  But some fires burn out of control, destroying everything and everyone in their path.
 
In this book, you'll find out about:

how and why wildfires happen

how different groups, from Native Americans to colonists, from conservationists to modern industrialists, have managed forests and fire

the biggest wildfires in American history--how they began and dramatic stories of both rescue and tragedy

what we're doing today to fight forest fires

Chock full of dramatic stories, fascinating facts, and compelling photos, When Forests Burn teaches us about the past--and shows a better way forward in the future.

About the Author

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Albert Marrin is the author of the National Book Award Finalist Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Factory Fire and Its Legacy; the Sibert Honor book Uprooted: The Japanese-American Experience During World War II; and the YALSA-ALA Excellence in Nonfiction finalist A Light in the Darkness: Janusz Korczak, His Orphans, and the Holocaust, as well as numerous other widely praised books. A retired history professor, he lives in New York City.

Praise For…

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★ "Vivid, wide angled, and all too timely." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “Compelling….offers a tremendous amount of accessible information for both researchers and general-interest readers and fills a gap in current literature for this age group.” —Booklist, starred review

“Marrin breaks down the history of wildfires and their place in the cycle of nature in this thorough work.” —Publishers Weekly