The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

The Great Fire review by Sarah Bartholomew

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. New York, NY: Scholastic,1995.

ISBN 0590472674

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Chicago was forever changed by The Great Fire of 1871. This book chronicles the mistakes that were made that allowed for the fire to cause as much damage to the city as it did. Through primary sources, Murphy details how this event played out, forever changing the lives of Chicagoans. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The layout of Murphy’s The Great Fire imbeds photographs of Chicago, political cartoons, and maps of the city. These help to provide an understanding of what life in Chicago during the mid-late 19th century was like. Murphy was sure to include any details that would help set the scene for the reader. Most helpful in understanding the impact of the fire were the maps of Chicago at the end of each chapter showing just how far the fire had spread by that point in the story. This helped the reader visualize just how quickly the fire had spread. At times the writing was a bit scattered and not fluid, but this worked to the author’s advantage as it added to the chaos of the story. Murphy concluded the book by noting some of the long-term social and economic effects this unfortunate event had on Chicago. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

1996 NEWBERY HONOR

From Publishers Weekly: “Strategically quoting the written accounts of witnesses-who include a 12-year-old girl and a newspaper editor-Murphy both charts the 31-hour spread of the fire and conveys the atmosphere in the streets. This volume, beautifully printed in sepia tones, contains historic photos, engravings, and newspaper clippings on nearly every page.”

From Kirkus Review: “[Murphy] puts the incident in perspective, giving it stunning immediacy for contemporary readers.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather other works by Jim Murphy 

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 ISBN 978-0395776087

Blizzard ISBN 9780590673099

           The Box of Stuff: Leon's Story ISBN ‎9781734771503

           A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy ISBN 9780395900192

Gather other stories from Chicago 

Maguire, Kathleen. Chicago Then and Now ISBN ‎9781910904053

Chicago Tribune Staff. Chicago Flashback: The People and Events That Shaped a City’s History. ISBN 9781572842359

Gather other works about natural disasters

Guiberson, Brenda. Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries. ISBN ‎9781250050663

              Lester, Paul.The True Story of the Galveston Flood as Told by the Survivors. ISBN 9781581032710

Tarshis, Lauren. I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906. ISBN 9780545206990