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The enthralling story of the Great Chicago Fire and the power struggle over the citys reconstruction in the wake of the tragedy

In October of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the big onea massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. There hadnt been a meaningful rain since July, and several big blazes had nearly outstripped the fire departments scant resources. On October 8, when Kate Learys barn caught fire, so began a catastrophe that would forever change the soul of the city.
Leary was a diligent, hardworking Irish woman, no more responsible for the fire than anyone else in the city at that time. But the conflagration that spread from her property quickly overtook the neighborhood, and before too long the floating embers had spread to the far reaches of the city. Families took to the streets with everything they could carry. Grain towers threatened to blow. The Chicago River boiled. Over the course of the next forty-eight hours, Chicago saw the biggest and most destructive disaster the United States had ever endured, and Leary would be its scapegoat.
Out of the ashes rose not just new skyscrapers, tenements, and homes, but also a new political order. The citys elite saw an opportunity to rebuild on their terms, cracking down on crime and licentiousness and fortifying a business-friendly environment. But the citys working class recognized a naked power grab that would challenge their traditions, hurt their chances of rebuilding, and move power out of elected officials hands and into private interests. As quickly as the firefight ended, another battle for the future of the city began between the towns business elites and the poor and immigrant working class.
An enrapturing account of the fires devastating path and an eye-opening look at its aftermath, The Burning of the World tells the story of one of the most infamous calamities in history and the powerful transformation that followed.

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WINNER OF THE MIDLAND AUTHORS AWARD FOR HISTORY LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR The "illuminating" (New Yorker) story of the Great Chicago Fire: a raging inferno, a harrowing fight for survival, and the struggle for the soul of a citytold with the "the clarityand tensionof a well-wrought military narrative" (Wall Street Journal)

In the fall of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the big onea massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. It had been bone-dry for months, and a recent string of blazes had nearly outstripped the fire departments already scant resources. Then, on October 8, a minor fire broke out in the barn of Irishwoman Kate Leary. A series of unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings along with insufficient preparation and a high south-westerly wind combined to set the stage for an unmitigated catastrophe.
The conflagration that spread from the Learys property quickly overtook the neighborhood, and before long the floating embers had been cast to the far reaches of the city. Nothing to the northeast was safe. Families took to the streets with every possession they could carry. Powerful gusts whipped the flames into a terrifying firestorm. The Chicago River boiled. Over the next forty-eight hours, Chicago fell victim to the largest and most destructive natural disaster the United States had yet endured.
The effects of the Great Fire were devastating. But they were also transforming. Out of the ashes, faster than seemed possible, rose new homes, tenements, hotels, and civic buildings, as well as a new political order. The elite seized the reconstruction to crack down on vice, control the disbursement of vast charitable funds, and rebuild the city in their image. But the citys working class recognized only a naked power grab that would challenge their traditions, hurt their chances to keep their hard-earned property, and move power out of the hands of elected officials and into private interests. As soon as the battle against the fire ended, another battle for the future of the city erupted between its entrenched business establishment and its poor and immigrant laborers and shopkeepers.
An enrapturing account of the fires inexorable march and an eye-opening look at its aftermath, The Burning of the World tells the story of one of the most infamous calamities in history and the new Chicago it precipitateda disaster that still shapes American cities to this day.

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The Burning of the World

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