Book Review: PARADISE by Lizzie Johnson

On November 8, 2018, Paradise, California, awoke to a gray sky and strong winds. The Camp Fire quickly spread, consuming an acre per second. Within two hours, the town was engulfed in flames, trapping residents in their homes and cars. By the next morning, eighty-five people had died.

PARADISE: ONE TOWN'S STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE AN AMERICAN WILDFIRE by Lizzie Johnson

In PARADISE: ONE TOWN'S STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE AN AMERICAN WILDFIRE, San Francisco Chronicle journalist Lizzie Johnson documents one the most horrific wildfires in California history. Johnson's research and writing draws the reader in early to the confusion and chaos of the fire. From the initial fire's spark to the harrowing evacuation of Paradise to the heartbreaking aftermath, PARADISE explores the mostly-untold stories of thousands of survivors who lost everything.

This vivid account is as compelling as it is tragic. The book's breathtaking pace makes it nearly impossible to put down. Johnson not recounts the stories of the survivors, but also of some who were lost. And, she goes even further to investigate the root causes of the tradegy, from runaway climate change to a deeply flawed alert system to Pacific Gas and Electric’s decades-long neglect of critical infrastructure.

The book is the basis for the Apple TV movie, THE LOST BUS starring Matthew McConaughey, which tells the story of bus driver Kevin McKay who navigated a bus carrying 22 children and their teachers to safety through the fire. The book, however, is far more than just the story of McKay's heroic actions. It is the story of so many others, whose heroism and bravery outshone their terror on that day.

PARADISE presents an account of the 2018 Camp Fire that is well-written and riveting. This revealing account of the tragic devastation wrought on the town and people of Paradise is a journalistic masterpiece.