[.uk] Seven Fires: The Urban Infernos that Reshaped America (ISBN 1586483552)

Awful:
If you are interested in reading an insipid Marxist-inspired tirade the substance of which appears to be that urban fires in the United States have been (a) the consequence of oppressors oppressing the oppressed, (b) the opportunity for the oppressors to further oppress the oppressed, or (c) both (a) and (b), read this book! If, on the other hand, you are interested in reading about urban history and the impact of great fires upon our cities, do yourself a favor and let this pass into the dustbin of publishing history. Let me offer one gem that perfectly epitomizes this inane book and its author. This is how a "distinguished" Professor at the University of Georgia (listening parents?) describes looting (aka "stealing") in the Detroit riots of 1967: "Looting was appropriation, whether one saw it as a crime or as recouping what discrimination in salaries and job opportunities had taken..." And then Professor Marx goes on to contrast arson unfavorably with such noble looting because "Fire does not transfer wealth or redistribute goods". The book is unreadable.

Warm but not burning:
I love disaster books, but this one was merely good, not great. Hoffer details seven fires and their effects on the United States afterwards. It was interesting to read about three I had never heard of, Boston, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and Hoffer succeeds very well when describing the fires and the chaos that ensues. His attempts to try to tie the infernos in with other sweeeping social changes, however, are not as successful. I was not convinced that the fire of Boston 1760 had all that much effect on the revolution 16 years later, for example. Hoffer concludes that rich people benefit from fires but poor people suffer--hardly a shocking conclusion. Also, the writing is a little overblown at times. Did the Detroit police really see the people in the slums as "less than human?" Still, despite the book's flaws, it is still overall a good read for people who enjoy disaster books.

Fantastic Read For Fire & History Fans!:
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.

Seven Fires - Focus on Detroit 1967:
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.

Interesting stories:
I was interested in this book because it contained one of the better accounts of the Oakland fire that I've seen. I think the author may be over-reaching when he declares that these fires have shaped our history. In our American way, we have not really learned from history (although Oakland now reportedly has fire hydrants with connectors that fit other fire departments' rigs.) We continue to build where we want with little thought for the consequences.