ARC Review: Trial by Fire

 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

James has clearly done his research for this devastating and incredibly well-written non-fiction read. At the center of this book is The Station Fire, a horrific fire at a nightclub during a rock concert in which 100 people died. So many factors caused this immense tragedy, and James explores them all, from flammable soundproofing foam, to the availability of exits, to panic causing terrifying pileups of people, to the choice of the band  playing that night to use fireworks in their show. He also explores the after effects on those who survived and the families of those who didn't.

The fire's terrible consequences didn't end there, as lawsuits, blame, grief, and politics all collided. False news was reported in newspapers as fact, important papers were supressed, and no one was satisfied with the supposed justice that resulted. I felt like I walked away from reading this book going from knowing absolutely nothing about this tragedy to being able to write a full paper on it, that's how much research James did and how much he made every detail matter. James makes readers care so much that this book will absolutely stay with you when you finish.