When It All Burns

“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 riveting story of the costs of climate change and the realities of this terrifying work, as well as an examination of the history that got us here and the very real lives now at risk.” —New York Times“Wedding anthropological research and elegant descriptions of the natural world, Thomas builds an argument for a clear solution.” —The New Yorker“Thomas brings us to the front lines, deftly pulling the reader to the edge of the fire in evocative writing that reads like a thriller… Thinking about fire has never been more essential—Thomas charts a map toward the future.” —Kirkus (starred review)“Writing with exceptional verve, Thomas captures the furious intensity of working on the fire line… . Narrative nonfiction doesn’t get better than this.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Profoundly relevant… . Thomas, in this spellbinding account, shows how thoughtful forestry management can begin to address the megafires now touching all of our lives.” —Booklist (starred review)“A tremendous book that deepened my understanding and appreciation not just of the men and women who serve as wildland firefighters but also of the long, tragic history of land mismanagement in the American West… . powerful, instructive and well written.” —Minnesota Star Tribune“In this engrossing work on wildfires and the environment, Thomas skillfully weaves together how historical events, genocide, politics, and the logging industry have all contributed to climate change, creating megafires throughout the American West.” —Library Journal“It is rare and wonderful when an author emerges perfectly matched to a subject and a book that also captures the spirit of the times. This gripping, deeply perceptive first-hand encounter with the devastating ferocity of 21st Century Fire reads like the Kitchen Confidential of elite wildfire fighting.” —John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather“A fascinating account of life as a hotshot—but also an insightful and nuanced take on how we might learn to coexist a little more sensibly with the flames we’ve unleashed on this earth. Reading this is a little akin to having an escape plan from your house: useful preparation.” —Bill McKibben, author The End of Nature“Jordan Thomas draws on his experience as a hotshot to tell a story that’s as scary and exciting as a wildfire. When It All Burns manages to be at once deeply personal and far-reaching in scope.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky and The Sixth Extinction

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.