In the early 1900s, forestry and the protection of America's natural beauty were never even considered by the majority of Americans. The West was just beginning to fill and the country was better than ever at acquiring and consuming the resources available. Timothy Egan's The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America examines the relationship between Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, the beginning of United States Forest Service, and "The Big Burn," possibly the worst wildfire in American history. Egan effectively discusses many portions of his book, while others are not quite examined as well. Many different pieces of evidence are used in this monograph to persuade and to narrate the happenings of the time while in addition to show great intelligence toward his subject and display his caring. .
The book begins by exploring the relationship between two rich men who just want to act like boys, by roaming the country, hunting, wrestling, and boxing. They were an unlikely pair that found each other, and once they combined forces nothing could stop them from achieving whatever they were after. This single relationship between Roosevelt and Pinchot could be the sole cause in the creation of many of our National Parks as well as the United States Forest Service. Egan delves deep into this eccentric relationship. He mentions each man's personal life and how this affected the relationship itself and what it grew in to. Many interesting facts are given like the two men swimming naked in the Potomac and wrestling before dinner. Other details seem interesting, but possibly a little unnecessary and off topic, such as Pinchot's longtime relationship with his dead wife. When it comes to the structure of Egan's book it appears a little disordered and hard to follow at times because the book shifts from personal story to personal story, while then the book comes back to the characters back together in another setting discussing a totally different topic.
