Timothy Egan, author of fall 2011’s University of Idaho Common Read selection “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America,” will give a presentation on the book at 7 p.m. Monday in the Student Union Building ballroom, as well as classroom appearances this week.
The book details the horrific fires of 1910 in the Wallace, Idaho, area and Teddy Roosevelt’s program of expanding federally-owned land. Egan used the UI library and archives as well as the Latah County Historical Society for much of his research, Dean of Students Bruce Pitman said.
“We chose this book last spring because we thought it was a book that told an important story about our region, but also had important messages about how we have come to value common use of public lands,” Pitman said. “Also, about important issues related to fire ecology. We are one of the few campuses in the United States that has a fire ecology program and we thought that it was an opportunity to highlight some of the important academic work that we’re doing around this issue.”
Pitman said while every book chosen in the Common Read program’s four-year run has had themes, stories or ideals that creatively relate to the university, “The Big Burn” is most related to the region and the university.
“These books had broad application to priorities that we were addressing in the institution, but this one has a particular geographic focus as well as a focus on broad issues that affect the region,” Pitman said.
Pitman said a team of about 150 faculty members reviewed 130 nominations for books and selected one based on several criteria.
“One, what is a good story, what makes a good read?” Pitman said. “Another is choosing a book that has important themes that we should be discussing at the university level. We also try to choose a book that can be used in several disciplines… that are accessible, meaning that we have facilitators that can interpret the book, provide background and context for the themes in the book.”
Most students who read “The Big Burn” said it was interesting and informative, although a few weren’t too enthusiastic about it.
“Once the fire starts it gets better,” said Amanda White, a freshman mechanical engineering major. “Until then, you’re kind of wondering, ‘Why should I care?'”
Pitman said, students should care about this book for many reasons.
“It is a story about us,” he said, mentioning that UI was about 20 years old at the time. “It is a story about how this region was affected by public policy and forces of nature. It gives us the chance to discuss different points of view, whether about ecology, land use in the West, or simply our history.”
Faculty in history and natural resources have important points of view about issues in this book, Pitman said. For students it’s an introduction into the forces that shape their environment, he said and for some students it’s about their jobs, whether they’ll be working in the natural resource area or, very specifically, fire ecology.
Many students in the fire ecology program work as firefighters during the summer, Pitman said, and part of Monday night’s event will be a memorial for Caleb Hamm. Hamm was a student who died from heat exposure while fighting a fire during the summer in Texas.
Egan will be the third Common Read author to visit campus and discuss the annual book. Pitman said while they had last year’s author speak at the freshman welcome, the administration decided to hold the talk slightly later in the semester, giving students a chance to get settled and become acquainted with the book.
“The Big Burn” can be purchased in the VandalStore or online and www.vandalstore.com. Retail price is $15.95.