Podcast Summary: NPR's Book of the Day

Episode: 'Firestorm' tells journalistic – and personal – story of the LA wildfires
Air Date: January 20, 2026
Host: Peter O’Dowd (for Here & Now)
Guest: Jacob Soboroff, correspondent and author of Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster

Overview

This episode dives into Jacob Soboroff’s new book Firestorm, a gripping personal and investigative account of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires from the previous year. Soboroff, who covered the fires as a journalist and as a native of the affected neighborhood, reflects on the crisis as both a personal tragedy and an emblem of America’s new era of disasters—where environmental catastrophe, infrastructure failures, and political polarization collide.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Soboroff’s Personal Connection to the Fires

• Soboroff grew up in the Pacific Palisades, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods.
• Recounted the surreal experience of reporting live while watching his childhood home burn:
  • Quote: “...watching my childhood home that I grew up in incinerated as if it had been struck by a ballistic missile.” (Jacob Soboroff, 02:23)
• Reflected on the emotional toll of being simultaneously a reporter and victim:
  • Quote: “The idea that I could be somehow neutral and sort of put in a bag who I really am has never been a strong suit of mine. Here it was. I didn’t even really have an option to do that.” (Jacob Soboroff, 02:55)

The Personal Becomes Collective

• Soboroff wasn’t just relaying information to viewers—he became a point of contact for friends and even political acquaintances seeking news about their homes:
  • Checked on houses for friends, family, and even Stephen Miller’s parents at the request of Katie Miller, despite their past adversarial relationship.
  • Quote: “I checked on the Miller’s house, it had burned down. And what I thought was an exercise in finding common humanity between all of us…soon dissipated because her direct boss at the time, Elon Musk... started pouring rhetorical fuel on...the fire by spreading mis and disinformation.” (Jacob Soboroff, 04:12)

Political Fallout: Disaster as a Political Firestorm

• Soboroff emphasized how disaster response quickly becomes politically charged:
  • Interviewed Governor Gavin Newsom about water supply failings:
    • Quote: “What happened to the water?” (Jacob Soboroff relaying the public’s anger, 05:40)
• Social media, misinformation, and finger-pointing became almost as uncontrollable as the fire itself.

Infrastructure and the Limits of Prevention

• Discussed the issue of water supplies running dry:
  • Reservoirs were rumored empty, but the shortage was largely due to unprecedented demand as the firestorm raged.
  • Quote: “16,000 structures were destroyed over an area three times the size of Manhattan.” (Jacob Soboroff, 06:02)
• Echoed environmental writer Mike Davis’s warning that some disasters now outpace even the best response:
  • Quote: “There’s no amount of firefighters that would have stopped the wildland blazes... The reality...is that these are unavoidable catastrophes at this point.” (Jacob Soboroff citing Davis, 07:26)
• Pointed to the convergence of climate crisis, failing infrastructure, and political disinformation as drivers of modern disasters.

Health, Recovery, and Ongoing Impact

• Soboroff and emergency responders were exposed to dangerous smoke and toxins during the fires.
  • Firefighter Eric Mendoza’s lungs "would not expand" after returning home.
  • Cal Fire deputy chief Nick Schuller worried about cancer risk due to burning electric car batteries.
  • Quote: “I think a lot about people more than anything. And...it also makes me hopeful to have gotten to know those people...we can all sort of begin the process of healing…” (Jacob Soboroff, 08:49)
• Personal stories: From Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers who lost homes to local service workers, highlighting widespread impact.

The Uneven Road to Recovery

• Rebuilding is slow and uneven; economic disparities are stark.
  • Quote: “40% of the lots, according to a study that I just read, are being sold to corporate investors and not to Californians, not to Angelenos.” (Jacob Soboroff, 10:06)
• Many residents are unable to return; corporate acquisitions may change communities permanently.
  • Of 16,000 destroyed structures, permits to rebuild are only a fraction, with even fewer completed homes.
  • Quote: “...it’s a lifetime for the people that experience this. And many of them may not end up returning...” (Jacob Soboroff, 10:06)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Jacob Soboroff: “It raises the hair on my arms and gives me a chill down my spine. Honestly, it brings me back to that moment...” (02:23)
• On neutrality: “The idea that I could be somehow neutral...has never been a strong suit of mine.” (02:55)
• On division and unity: “What I thought was an exercise in finding common humanity...unfortunately soon dissipated because...Elon Musk...started pouring rhetorical fuel on the very real flames...” (04:12)
• On limits of response: “There’s no amount of firefighters that would have stopped the wildland blazes…” (07:26)
• On recovery: “40% of the lots...are being sold to corporate investors and not to Californians...” (10:06)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:42] Soboroff describes the devastation and his personal connection
• [02:54] Grappling with journalist objectivity vs. personal involvement
• [03:29] Visiting destroyed homes, including colleagues’ and political adversaries’
• [05:40] Political fallout: Governor Newsom & water failures
• [06:02] Technical details on infrastructure and the scale of the fire
• [07:26] The “new age of disaster”: inevitabilities and converging crises
• [08:49] Health aftermath for both journalists and first responders
• [10:06] Update on rebuilding, economic disparities, and long-term change

Tone and Takeaway

The conversation is somber but clear-eyed, blending sobering facts with moments of human connection and hope. Soboroff’s account moves fluidly from gritty first-person reporting to sharply informed analysis of politics and society, maintaining a compassionate but urgent tone throughout.

For those who haven’t listened, this episode underscores not just the scale and tragedy of the wildfires, but the profound sense of loss and transformation they leave behind—on landscapes, communities, and people alike.