Join us on September 20, 2023 7pm for a VIRTUAL author talk with Nick Mott & Justin Angle authors of This Is Wildfire
Questions? email us at Events@napabookmine.com
ABOUT THE BOOK
We’re at a precarious moment for wildfire in the U.S. Fire seasons have now become fire years with tens of millions of people living in areas vulnerable to fire, and more and more homes being built every day. Nineteen of the twenty most destructive fires—as defined by the number of buildings destroyed—in California history have occurred since 1999, and from 2005 to 2020 wildfires incinerated nearly ninety thousand structures. A recent report estimated that the cost per year of wildfire in the U.S.—for everything it destroys, and for putting it out—averages between about $70 billion and $350 billion. By the end of the century, experts anticipate extreme fire events to rise by 50 percent across the world. Driven in part by climate change, the areas burned and prevalence of smoke in the skies is expected to skyrocket in the decades to come. However, while fire causes utmost damage to our health, our lives and our homes, it also rejuvenates forests and ecosystems. How do we live in a world where both of these truths about fire can exist? And how do we manage our increasingly fiery future?
In THIS IS WILDFIRE, Montana-based journalists and hosts of the popular Edward R. Murrow award-winning podcast Fireline Mott and Angle offer everything you need to know about fire in one useful volume. The first book of its kind, THIS IS WILDFIRE explores the history of humanity's connection to flames and analyzes how our society arrived at this perilous moment. Split into four sections: “burning, “fighting,” “managing,” and “adapting,” Mott and Angle interview dozens of people who have recalibrated their relationships with fire and are actively trying to change society’s relationship with it– indigenous leaders, firefighters, scientists and community leaders – and who have learned from the mistakes of our past to inform the work being done in the present. Throughout, Mott and Angle give practical advice, from choosing your insurance and making your home resilient to burns, to packing an emergency go-bag and rebuilding after a fire.
Wildfire is inevitable, and we need to learn to live with it. THIS IS WILDFIRE is a hopeful yet realistic look at a force of nature that has long been misunderstood. The authors show us that in order for our communities to survive and thrive, we must engage with the world around us and our neighbors in ways we may not have considered before, and we must change our thinking about fire forever. With actionable insights - recommendations that can save lives, homes, and neighborhoods -THIS IS WILDFIRE is required reading for our new reality.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nick Mott is a journalist and podcast producer. His podcast work has received a Peabody and two National Edward R. Murrow Awards. His print and audio reporting has been published in The Atlantic, NPR, High Country News, and The Washington Post, among many other outlets.
Justin Angle is a professor and the Poe Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow at the University of Montana College of Business. His work has been published in Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, and the Washington Post.
A practical guide for living with wildfire, including essential history and science, actions you can take to protect your home, and guiding principles for life in an increasingly fiery future.