Beyond the Book
Overview
About the Author
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Discussion Questions
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?
Previously Egan worked as a national correspondent for
the Times.
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.
PIERCE COUNTY
Other Books by the Author –
Nonfiction
“The Winemaker’s Daughter”
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.
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.
“The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in
the Pacific Northwest”
NW 979.5 EGAN
The
Other Books by the Author –
Fiction
“Breaking Blue”
NW 364.1523 EGAN
READS 2011
BIG BURN
Teddy Roosevelt & the
Fire that Saved America
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
Presented by
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.
Sponsored by
“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.
BY TIMOTHY EGAN
Photos courtesy USFS Region One Archives.
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BEYOND THE BOOK
Overview • About the Author
Discussion Questions • Other Books by the Author