Seven Fires: The Urban Infernos That Reshaped America

SEVEN FIRES BY PETER CHARLES HOFFER After I had completed a book signing for my novel, SHADOW OF DEATH, the bookseller called me to ask if I'd read SEVEN FIRES, THE URBAN INFERNOS THAT RESHAPED AMERICA, by Peter Charles Hoffer. Since SHADOW OF DEATH takes place in the midst of one of these 'urban infernos': Detroit in 1967, I was anxious to check it out and compare this distinguished scholar-author's point of view with my own. In researching SHADOW OF DEATH I relied on my own reflections about Detroit in that cataclysmic summer of 1967 as well as extensive research in the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library. Among Peter Hoffer's fires, Detroit, 1967 "Motown, If You Don't Come Around, We Are Going to Burn You Down", is the fifth of seven fires. (The fires included are Boston, 1790; Pittsburgh, 1845, Chicago, 1871; Baltimore, 1904; Detroit, 1967; The East Bay - Oakland, 1991; and Lower Manhattan, 2001.) Naturally, I read the Detroit chapter with extreme interest, and I was not disappointed. My account of this period provides a real-place, real-time background for my fictional story of a medical student inserted into the cultural divide that triggered this inferno. Hoffer's conclusion was much like mine when he asks the question, "Did Detroit have to burn....the story of Detroit's fires is a mystery - we know how; we know when; but we do not really know who set the fires, or why." All in all, this book is a great reference on the impact and management of major fires.

Best popular history book I've read this year. The author has written a gripping narrative about seven conflagrations that had lasting impact on the cities affected. Amazing breadth and scope. Hoffer spans the course of American history from 1760 to 2001 and covers fires in cities across the country. Firefighting detail to satisfy anyone interested in the changing techniques;human stories that grab you; and enlightening analysis of each conflagration. I learned a lot but also had trouble putting it down.

What a fascinating book! I never realized what an impact on our culture that the fires had: insurance, construction, zoning, economics...just to name a few. And a nice index is included to guide the reader and link concepts between the many years of fires in America.