Nonfiction and Biography
Book Review #2
The Great Fire
by Jim Murphy
BIBLIOGRAPHY Murphy, Jim.
1995. THE GREAT FIRE. New, York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 090472674
PLOT SUMMARY
Chicago which is known as "The Windy City" had a very destructive fire in 1871, this fire was fueled by the winds that destroyed the city. The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most massive and horrific disasters in American history. On October 8, 1871, a fire began on Koven Street which consumed a large portion of Chicago and became known as The Great Fire. This fire was fueled by the winds and engulfed everything it encountered. The city of Chicago was almost completely destroyed by this massive fire and the people in the city were in a complete panic. THE GREAT FIRE retells the events of this horrible disaster, it is told from the stories of actual survivors who braved the flames of this massive fire on that windy night. It documents what is known about the fire from its origins to the aftermath where nearly 100,000 people were homeless and searching through the burnt rubble for their families. It goes on to describe how the people of Chicago overcame this disaster and found the courage to rebuild their city.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jim Murphy does an amazing job
retelling the events that happened that terrible night and how the city
overcame this disaster. His book is very well organized and detailed with
a wide variety of drawings, photographs, and captions that engage the reader
and helps them make mental images of the events that happened that horrific
night. Not only do these drawings and pictures talk about that night, but
also about the events that came after when the city of Chicago was left with a
complete "mess so massive that twenty years after the fire there were
still burned-out buildings scattered around the city." Many of these
illustrations and photographs were from the Chicago newspapers in the days and
weeks that followed this horrible tragedy. Murphy's
bibliography cites direct quotes and statistics throughout the book which
shows the accuracy of the events. The Great Fire captures the reader’s
attention and brings to life the information in the book with the eyewitness
accounts. As the reader turns each page, they are interested to know what
else happened, how did the people rebuild and survive this terrible disaster.
Also included is a lengthy index
which allows the readers to skip directly to the topic they are interested in
reading about and a table of contents that shows the chronological chapters of
the book.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST REVIEW:
"Photographs and illustrations of the conflagration and the damage it left
behind only add fuel to the author's dramatic text, a riveting narrative that
combines the details of the fire itself with personal anecdotes gleaned from
the newspaper accounts and books written during and immediately after the
fire. The Great Fire will automatically draw readers with its
fiery cover and illustrations of disaster, but the text will keep them
reading."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:
"This is excellent social history as well as suspenseful storytelling.
The diversity and multitude of personal accounts is presented in both
text and voice so that there is no sense of frustration in the changes of viewpoints,
but rather a better appreciation of the event as a dynamic experience from
which we still have much to learn."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "This
volume, beautifully printed in sepia tones, contains historic pictures,
engravings and newspaper clippings on nearly every page. Especially
helpful are maps placed at intervals throughout the book that represent the
progress of the fire."
CONNECTIONS
*Invite children to read other books that have caused great destruction.
* Invite children to read book by Jim Murphy:
AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. ISBN 0395776082
BLIZZARD! THE STORM THAT CHANGED AMERICA. ISBN 0590673106
INVINCIBLE MICROBE: TUBERCULOSIS AND THE NEVER-ENDING SEARCH FOR A CURE. ISBN 0618535748
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