#AusReadingMonth23 Currowan
- Author: Bronwyn Adcock
- Title: Currowan (271 pg) 2021
- Genre: Non-fiction
- Australian TBR List
- #AusReadingMonth23 @ This Reading Life(Brona’s Books)
- Starting early…b/c I have a SO MANY books to read!
- Intro: This is the story of a fire.
Conclusion:
- This is my second book about an environmental fire in Australia.
- Currowan was written in the wake of the devastating bushfires over the summer of 2019-2020, is a moving insider’s account.
- Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world
- and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire.
- I learned a great deal about bushfires…how they should and should NOT be fought!
- Bushfires explode and spread fast.
- A bushfire rages at an average speed of 22.53kph (14mph).
- That’s two times faster than a forest fire, which is usually at 10.78kph (6.7mph).
- It’s much faster than most people can run — which is why it’s so dangerous.
- Ms Adcock uses this to inbue her report with anxiety people feel…they never feel safe.
- Currowan tells the story of unprecedented environmental disaster.
- It captures the human cost via the stories of people who suffered through it.
- It contains important information about climate change and
- our unpreparedness for the consequences b/c of
- climate denialism promoted by fossil fuel lobbyists around the world.
- Australian bushfires are getting worse and it’s being driven by climate change.
- Not only has the number of megafires in Australia spiked since 2000
- but a greater expanse of land is being burnt.
Personal:
- As I said this is my second book about an environmental fire in Australia.
- I would recommend reading :
- Hazelwood: Written in the wake of 2014 coal mine fire by Tom Doig.
- Mr Doig gathered information from 2014-2019 with in-depth interviews and
- …follow-up fact checking.
- He exposes the sickness/health issues of people Morwell Australia.
- His book was a “page-turner”.
- Ms Adcock as has Mr Doig done a masterful job giving us
- a report about these catastrophes.
- PS: Currowan was the winner of the Walkley Book Award 2022
- …and is worth your reading time!
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NancyElin.blog 
I looked at this book when it first came out last year, but the memories of that summer 2019/2020 were still too strong and I wasn’t sure I could read about it yet.
We recently had a week of backburning around the Sydney region. The smell of smoke was actually quite distressing for the first couple of days as it brought back the horror of that summer, and I didn’t lose a loved one or a house, like so many others did.
I’m feeling very nervous about our coming summer now that El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) have been declared.
Oh, Brona…I remember the images of Sydney covered with smoke/smog. So as you express… it was the feeling of fear, anxiety of people that was probably more intense than the story itself. Everyone did their best to save houses and those of others….it felt like the firefighters were poorly equipped. It was a David and Goliath struggle. I hope this Spring/Summer won’t be as bad as 2019 but your heatwaves so early is a bad omen.
It’s much faster than most people can run — terrifying!!!!
Hard to even imagine….!