Synopsis
2025 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE
ONE OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2025
NAMED A BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS
“Exceptional. . . . When It All Burns is one of those books that immerses the reader in the nuances of a world most of us know only through the lens of tragedy and destruction. Thomas’ visceral, crystalline prose only adds fuel to the fire.” —Los Angeles Times
A gripping firsthand account of a record-setting fire season, from a cultural anthropologist who spent a year working as a hotshot firefighter, exploring the history and future of fire in America
Eighteen of California’s largest wildfires on record have burned in the past two decades. Scientists recently invented the term “megafire” to describe wildfires that behave in ways that would have been nearly impossible just a generation ago, burning through winter, exploding in the night, and devastating landscapes historically impervious to incendiary destruction.
In When It All Burns, wildland firefighter and anthropologist Jordan Thomas recounts a single, brutal six-month fire season with the Los Padres Hotshots—the special forces of America’s firefighters. Being a hotshot is among the most difficult jobs on earth. Thomas viscerally renders his crew’s attempts to battle flames that are often too destructive to contain. He uncovers the hidden cultural history of megafires, revealing how humanity’s symbiotic relationship with wildfire became a war—and what can be done to change it back.
Thomas weaves ecology and the history of Indigenous peoples' oppression, federal forestry, and the growth of the fire industrial complex into a riveting narrative about a new phase in the climate crisis. It's an immersive story of community in the most perilous of circumstances, told with humor, humility, and affection.
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About the Author
Jordan Thomas is an anthropologist and former Los Padres hotshot wildland firefighter. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Seattle Times, and The Drift. Thomas is a Marshall Scholar with graduate degrees from the University of Cambridge and Durham University. He is currently a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. 2025 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTFINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZEONE OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2025NAMED A BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUSExceptional. . . . When It All Burns is one of those books that immerses the reader in the nuances of a world most of us know only through the lens of tragedy and destruction. Thomas visceral, crystalline prose only adds fuel to the fire. Los Angeles TimesA gripping firsthand account of a record-setting fire season, from a cultural anthropologist who spent a year working as a hotshot firefighter, exploring the history and future of fire in AmericaEighteen of Californias largest wildfires on record have burned in the past two decades. Scientists recently invented the term megafire to describe wildfires that behave in ways that would have been nearly impossible just a generation ago, burning through winter, exploding in the night, and devastating landscapes historically impervious to incendiary destruction.In When It All Burns, wildland firefighter and anthropologist Jordan Thomas recounts a single, brutal six-month fire season with the Los Padres Hotshotsthe special forces of Americas firefighters. Being a hotshot is among the most difficult jobs on earth. Thomas viscerally renders his crews attempts to battle flames that are often too destructive to contain. He uncovers the hidden cultural history of megafires, revealing how humanitys symbiotic relationship with wildfire became a warand what can be done to change it back. Thomas weaves ecology and the history of Indigenous peoples' oppression, federal forestry, and the growth of the fire industrial complex into a riveting narrative about a new phase in the climate crisis. It's an immersive story of community in the most perilous of circumstances, told with humor, humility, and affection. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780593544822