Considering the terrible destruction and loss of life in California due to wildfire, it seemed a little--I don't know--odd?--uncomfortable?--to read Ian Frazier's article on wildfires on the Great Plains (Nov. 5).
I just finished reading that article. Frasier paints quite a picture of Charlie Starbuck, and of Millie Fudge, as well. I was just one county over from there, to the east, in June, visiting my great grandfathers' graves in Hazelton, Kansas. No evidence of fire there; in fact, there were puddles here and there and some of the roads in Hazelton were so muddy it was tough going, even in my SUV.
I've noticed that reporters are taking a new interest in rural America these days. It was rural people who had a big role in the sudden change in political leadership, some think. This issue of the New Yorker had two articles about Oklahoma: the wildfire one and another one about how so many women in Oklahoma are being incarcerated, including victims of domestic violence.