Peter Hamby: The Politics of a Firestorm

In this book, Mike Davis counterpoints Los Angeles’s central role in America’s fantasy life with its denial of its own real history. He explores how the city has been depicted in numerous novels and films as a place of disaster, while also delving into the real ecological and social issues it faces, such as earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and droughts. Davis draws upon a vast array of sources to create a revelatory kaleidoscope of American fact, imagery, and sensibility, capturing the nation’s violent malaise and desperate social unease at the end of the 20th century. The book includes a new afterword from 2021, reflecting on LA's 21st-century challenges.