Friends of Montclair Library

Our One Village, One Book club is meeting tonight (June 11) to discuss Fire in the Hills: A Collective Remembrance edited by Patricia Adler, which tells the story of the 1991 Oakland Hills fire through poems, photos and essays.

If you’d like to learn more about wildfires and their history and future in California, as well as some ways to prepare for them, here are books for kids and adults to check out, including personal accounts, reporting and guidebooks.

Also, save the date for Thursday, August 15 when the library will stay open late for a special emergency preparedness presentation by OFD and the CORE (Citizens of Oakland Responding to Emergencies) team – preregistration is required and it will fill up fast!

All quoted book descriptions are from the library’s catalog unless otherwise noted.

Books for Kids:

They Hold the Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them by Dan Paley
“An informative picture book (grades 2-5) that takes readers along on a high stakes mission to battle one of the deadliest natural disasters to threaten the nation, while offering a dramatic look into the work of the highly-trained first responders who risk their lives to fight wildfires.”

Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick
In this suspenseful novel recommended for ages 9-12, 13-year-old Sam makes the mistake of going back for his phone when his camp is evacuated ahead of a fast-moving wildfire, and finds himself running for his life with a girl from a neighboring camp. “At the end of the novel, information about wildfires and useful safety tips add to the reader’s understanding of one of the US’s most dangerous natural disasters.”
(Also available as an ebook.)

I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018 by Lauren Tarshis
This installment in the popular “I Survived” series is a fictional account of the Camp Fire for grades 3-5, in which two cousins “find themselves in the path of a fast-moving firestorm, a super-heated monster that will soon destroy millions of acres of wilderness and possibly much more.”

California Wildfires by Sue Gagliardi
This non-fiction book “explores the cause, impact, and aftermath of the wildfires that burned across California. Includes an overview of how people prepare for and respond to wildfires, as well as stories of people who survived the California fires.”

Books for Adults:

The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martin
“”H Is for Hawk meets Joan Didion in the Pyrocene in this arresting combination of memoir, natural history, and literary inquiry that chronicles one woman’s experience of life in Northern California during the worst fire season on record.”

A Fire Story by Brian Fies
“Early morning on Monday, October 9, 2017, wildfires burned through Northern California.” This graphic novel is author Brian Fies’s firsthand story of “losing his house and every possession he and his wife had that didn’t fit into the back of their car.”

Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy by Alastair Gee
“Bay Area-based reporters for The Guardian Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano relate the story of the worst American wildfire in a century, weaving together a portrait of the remarkable California community…destroyed wholesale in a fire…, while offering a bigger-picture exploration of the science of wildfires in a time of dramatic climate change.” (See also Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive An American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson)

Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World by John Vaillant
“In May 2016, the city of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, burned to the ground, forcing 88,000 people to flee their homes. It was the largest evacuation ever of a city in the face of a forest fire, raising the curtain on a new age of increasingly destructive wildfires. This book is a suspenseful account of one of North America’s most devastating forest fires-and a stark exploration of our dawning era of climate catastrophes.”

Flame and Fortune in the American West: Urban Development, Environmental Change, and the Great Oakland Hills Fire by Gregory L. Simon
Simon “creatively and meticulously investigates the ongoing politics, folly and avarice shaping the production of increasingly widespread yet dangerous suburban and exurban landscapes,” using the 1991 Oakland Hills Tunnel Fire as a starting point “to better understand these complex social-environmental processes…Simon skillfully blends techniques from environmental history, political ecology and science studies to closely examine the Tunnel Fire within a broader historical and spatial context of regional economic development and natural-resource management.”

Wildfire: The Culture, Science & Future of Fire by Ferin Davis Anderson and Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
“Wildfire is a natural process that takes place in forests and grasslands all over the world. In dry conditions, a single spark can rapidly transform into flames that stretch for miles and sweep across the landscape, burning away everything in their path. Although commonly seen as destructive and deadly, fire is a necessary part of ecosystems; they refresh the land and allow for new plant growth. Environmental scientist Ferin Davis Anderson and author Stephanie Sammartino McPherson examine how Indigenous people, farmers, and forestry departments have used fire to manage resources; why climate change is impacting the frequency and intensity of wildfires; and what the future of fire might look like.”
(Also available as an ebook.)

This Is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat by Nick Mott
This books “offers everything you need to know about fire in one useful volume: reflects on the history of humanity’s connection to flames; analyzes how our society arrived at this perilous moment; and recounts stories of those fighting fire and trying to change our relationship with it. It also offers practical advice: choosing your insurance and making your home resilient to burns; packing an emergency go-bag; rebuilding after a fire; and so much more.”

Living with Wildfire: A Homeowner’s Handbook by Maureen Gilmer
“Gardening expert Maureen Gilmer shares proven ways to save your home, property and life with wildfire-resistant landscaping and fire-prevention techniques. Discover how to create bands of protection by choosing fire-resistant plants, manage native vegetation, prevent erosion and mudslides” and create defensible space for you and firefighters. “Included is updated information on insuring your property, selecting your home site, packing an emergency kit, and getting public and private assistance. With easy-to-follow diagrams, instructional photographs, and landscaping plans, you’ll have all the resources necessary to get through fire season and keep your home standing.”

Firescaping Your Home: A Manual for Readiness in Wildfire Country by Adrienne L. Edwards
“This book will empower readers to evaluate fire risks on their own property and take simple, actionable steps to mitigate them.”