FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: As Jackson Holites contemplate the volcano rising beneath Yellowstone Lake, it's worth noting that fiery conflagrations are nothing new to their neighborhood. The 11/20/05 Denver Post Book Section reviewed “Scorched Earth: How the Fires of Yellowstone Changed America,” by Rocky Barker (Island, 277 pages, $24.95). Says the Post: "Using the 1988 fires that burned more than a million acres in the park as a jumping-off point, Barker discusses the people and policies that led to the catastrophe." Many of us recall the "blame game" that erupted after the fires, with locals blaming the Feds, and the Feds responding in kind. Reminiscent of what happened Down South following hurricanes Katrina and Wilma this year.
AFTER THE DELUGE: You don’t have to be from hurricane land to enjoy Carl Hiaasen’s books. His many years as an investigative reporter and acerbic columnist for the Miami Herald serves him well as he rips land developers, crooked politicians, drug dealers, celebrities, and all the other greedheads that make the Sunshine State such a fun place. My intro to Hiaasen was his 1995 novel about Hurricane Andrew, “Storm Warning.” I was hooked. In “Skinny Dip” (2004), a crooked marine scientist, Chaz Parrone, is helping a developer poison the Everglades. When his wife Joey finds out, he pushes her overboard on a cruise, and she saves herself by climbing on a wayward bale of marijuana. Joey is rescued by a former cop and loner Mick Stranahan, who helps her hide her death so she can get even with her husband. Chaos and mayhem ensue. In “Lucky You,” Hiaasen tackles skinheads, the Florida lottery, and the strange town of Orange, which is famous for its weeping fiberglass Madonna, the Road-Stain Jesus, and other miracles. I listened to “Lucky You” via audiobook on a trip around WYO and didn’t want to get out of the car. Hiaasen has first-hand experience with all these people and places, and I believe him because I spent 14 years in coastal Florida. In the Nov. 13 Herald, Hiaasen wrote a scathing column about Florida’s hurricane preparedness (and lack thereof) during Wilma. His conclusion: “When the big one arrives – the really big one – plan on the pits. Plan on devestation. Plan on mayhem. Plan on bungling by those who’ve been telling you how to plan… Be prepared, they’re warning us. Next time, you’d better be prepared. Know how to prepare? Stock up on Prozac, that’s how. Because it’s going to be real bad, both miserable and tragic, and there’s nothing to be done except wait.” I’m sure the Miami tourism people loved that. Hiaasen’s novel for children, “Hoot,” is being made into a movie set for a spring 2006 release.
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