The Great Fire, Jim Murphy
The Great Fire, Jim Murphy
3 Rating(s)
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The Great Fire

Author: Jim Murphy

Narrator: Taylor Mali

Unabridged: 2 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2011

Synopsis

The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history—with damage so profound that few people believed the city of Chicago could ever rise again. By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with careful research, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting and dramatic narrative, ultimately revealing how the human spirit triumphed even in a time of deepest despair, and the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again.

About Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy is an editor and writer with more than a dozen books for young readers to his credit. Research Mr. Murphy was doing on the Civil War inspired his book The Boys’ War, as well as The Long Road to Gettysburg.

About Taylor Mali

Taylor Mali is the former president of Poetry Slam, Inc., and one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement. He is the author of two books of poetry, What Learning Leaves and The Last Time as We Are, and four CDs of spoken word. He has appeared on the first two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and won the jury prize for best one-man show at the United States Comedy Arts Festival. A passionate advocate of teachers, he travels the country recruiting the next generation of teachers with his 1,000 Teachers Campaign. Taylor lives in New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim on December 20, 2018

This was a good, short book on the Great Chicago fire of 1871. Murphy describes the area, construction, & weather leading up to the disaster. While he uses many personal accounts, newspaper articles, & historical references, he follows 4 disparate people who lived through the fire. One was a 12 year......more

Goodreads review by Sunday on May 17, 2022

The Great Fire (Murphy, 1995) is a Newbery Honor Book. Filled with black and white photos and illustrations, this isn’t a book that is immediately appealing like some other titles. If you can get kids to start the book, though, they will be pulled into the gripping narrative Murphy has created descr......more

Goodreads review by Jay on January 23, 2020

QUICK read. 8th graders read it this year and I was curious to see what they were learning about. quite informative. crazy how 1 family caused the destruction of an entire city.......more

Goodreads review by Barb on September 21, 2019

A fascinating look at the Chicago great fire from several perspectives.......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on November 23, 2014

This is a non-fiction, award winning account of the Great Chicago Fire. Being a Chicagoan and a history undergraduate major, I found this topic most interesting. Most people are aware of the legend that the fire was started when Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a bucket, but Murphy unravels the histor......more

Quotes

“Listening to The Great Fire narrated by Taylor Mali is like watching a History Channel program with one's eyes closed…Slam poet Mali conveys the terror, rage, and hope reborn experienced by the stunned Chicagoans…[it] will burn in memory long after the recording ends.” AudioFile

Awards

  • Newbery Honor
  • Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
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