This summer, Park City’s annual One Book, One Community program intends to ignite a timely conversation around “Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World,” by journalist John Vaillant.
The 2023 bestseller, which explores the realities of wildfire in a warming world, serves as a launching point for a summer of programming across the community that will culminate in a free event featuring Vaillant himself at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium on Tuesday, July 29, at 7 p.m.
Chosen by a joint committee of librarians from the Park City Library and the Summit County Library, “Fire Weather” is about the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta, Canada, that destroyed thousands of homes and displaced nearly 90,000 people.
Summit County Library Director Daniel Compton said the book’s power lies not only in its narrative force but in its relevance to our own mountain communities.
“Right now, everywhere you look, there’s newsworthy (fires) — it’s not a great thing, it’s unfortunate, but we are in that fire season right now,” said Compton. “That’s why our committee felt really strongly about choosing this book. Not only just because we could get the author, but the issues that are raised in the book are very relevant and timely for this community.”
The selection was made following the impacts of last October’s Yellow Lake Fire, which burned over 33,000 acres in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and with harrowing memories of the 2021 Parley’s Canyon Fire that torched 541 acres over Lambs Canyon from Interstate 80, forcing evacuations of nearby neighborhoods.
“Personally, I work here in the Kimball Junction branch library, and that was pretty scary to see that fire burning right over the hill,” said Compton. “They had to evacuate a lot of residents in that area, and that was really scary. I had never been that close to something like that before.”
Those real and recent events — along with broader national headlines, like this winter’s devastating fires in Los Angeles — make “Fire Weather” more than just a compelling read, Compton said.
“It’s just something that we all need to be educated on, aware of,” he said. “It’s something that we’re living with, and we’re going to be living with for a long time in this community.”
The One Book, One Community program has become a staple of summer in Summit County for over 20 years, said Compton, alternating between fiction and nonfiction selections. As they choose topics relevant to Park City’s unique issues, he said the impacts of climate change have become more prevalent.
Like in the committee’s 2023 selection “Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns and the Future of Chasing Snow,” by Heather Hansman.
“She was fantastic, and that one was so relevant to our ski town and community here,” said Compton. “She also addressed a lot of the issues facing resort towns like ours, and one of those issues was also climate change.”
“Fire Weather,” which a community member recommended to the committee, continues that climate-focused thread.
Per usual, the library’s One Book, One Community program has scheduled a series of related events designed to deepen engagement with the selected book’s themes. One talk, “Illuminating the Future of Earth’s Forests Under Climate Change,” addressed how drought, fire and insects are reshaping global forest ecosystems, Compton said. Another, an interactive session on fire-resilient landscaping facilitated by the county, discussed strategies for reducing wildfire risk on personal property.
On Saturday, a safety fair in the Information Center parking lot is planned for families to learn more about local organizations and safety procedures — and as a safe place to ask questions, Compton said.
Another free lecture will be given Monday at 6 p.m. at the Park City Library Community Room. J. Bradley Washa, a professor of wildland science at Utah State University, will present “Learning to Live with Wildland Fire on the Wasatch Back,” drawing on his own firefighting experience and wildfire research. The discussion will explore the intersection of local fire history and national trends, including the Fort McMurray fire referenced in Vaillant’s book.
The program builds up to Valliant’s visit on July 29, which will include a talk, a Q-and-A session, and a book signing.
“I think it’s such a highlight to have that author come at the end, after people have read and have discussions, or come to some of these supplemental programs, and then be able to hear from the author themselves, ask them questions,” said Compton. “It’s just a really nice educational, community-oriented program.”
“Fire Weather” has received numerous accolades, including as a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction and landing on best-of-the-year lists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Slate and Smithsonian.
Copies of “Fire Weather” are available on the library’s digital platform Libby, and extra physical books have been brought into the library to increase distribution. To learn more or to get a copy: parkcitylibrary.org/one-book-one-community-john-vaillant-fire-weather-a-true-story-from-a-hotter-world.