Slow Burn: A Photodocument of Centralia, Pennsylvania

by Renee Jacobs, Margaret O. Kirk (Introduction)

Photographs and interviews document the underground fires in local coal mines that forced the townspeople to relocate

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading all of the websites and other literature about Centralia doesn't bring home the struggle the way this book does. Hearing from the residents of this doomed town while they are living it explains the anger toward the government for not stepping in earlier, and the helplessness due to not being able to afford to leave. It's just a house, sure, but when one's whole life (and the lives of past generations of their family) has been in one house in one place, it's hard to let that go in the face of an unseen fire.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more the sort of book I wanted to read about the Centralia disaster - a photographic journal written as the citizens abandoned their town. Obviously a quick read, but haunting. I'm still amazed that something like that could not only happen in the modern world, but that the US government could screw up that badly and not be held accountable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrali...

[Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up very close to Centralia, but was born in '94. Gave me actual chills to read some of the testimonies within. I highly recommend to anyone who's interested in Centralia, especially to hear from the people who actually lived through it.

[Bailey L · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to read about more than “Graffiti Highway”. How eerie and enchanting.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for books on Centralia for research, because I'm writing a short story that involves adult characters who grew up there.

I was surprised to discover this on Amazon, since I "know" Renee Jacobs. And for reasons I won't go into, I'm not fond of her as a person. Despite that, I ordered this book from Amazon - because I do like her photography.

The book is haunting. She was right in the heart of it, staying in a local home when everything was happening. There are photos as well as interviews with the residents, and you get a true sense of the tension that tore through this once peaceful town. Long friendships and even marriages breaking up, because some wanted to relocate and others wanted to stay and fight to keep the town.

It's an important book. Capturing a piece of history. The town and almost all the people are long gone. It's just fields of grass now, no buildings remain except a house or two. The schools, the post office, the shops, all gone. This book gave a voice to the townspeople, from both sides. It wasn't biased, like other books I've seen about Centralia appear to be. It's not told by an outsider.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read other books about Centralia, seen YouTube videos, and even visited. This book was great to connect a lot of the stories together, put names with faces, and see images of the town around the time so many left in 1983. I've been fascinated by the town that no longer exists and this just gave a really good feel for the emotions, thoughts, and environment of Centralia. It made it all so real and made the people real...