born in flames: the business of arson and the remaking of the american city

born in flames: the business of arson and the remaking of the american city book by bench ansfield

delve into a riveting and meticulously researched account of a dark chapter in american urban history with born in flames: the business of arson and the remaking of the american city. this powerful work of nonfiction by historian bench ansfield uncovers the shocking truth behind the wave of fires that decimated american cities in the 1970s. with a page count of approximately 352 pages, this book falls squarely into the genres of history and true crime, offering a deeply engaging and eye-opening narrative that reads with the pace of a thriller. it dismantles long-held myths and exposes a calculated system of destruction for profit that has had a lasting impact on the urban landscape.

about the author bench ansfield

bench ansfield is an accomplished historian and an assistant professor of history at temple university. they earned their ph.d. in american studies from yale university and their work focuses on the intersections of racial capitalism, the carceral state, and the history of american cities in the twentieth century. ansfields deep dive into the subject of arson for profit in born in flames is the culmination of a decade of dedicated research.

born in flames: the business of arson and the remaking of the american city summary

the infamous phrase, "the bronx is burning," has long been etched in the collective american memory, often accompanied by the erroneous assumption that the residents of these blighted neighborhoods were the architects of their own destruction. born in flames masterfully debunks this myth, presenting a compelling and evidence-backed counternarrative. ansfields extensive research reveals that the epidemic of fires that ravaged the bronx and other urban centers was not a product of resident despair, but rather a calculated business strategy employed by landlords. these property owners, driven by a confluence of economic factors, discovered that their buildings were worth more destroyed than occupied. the book meticulously details how a perfect storm of tanking property values and newly available government-sponsored insurance created a perverse incentive for arson. ansfield introduces the groundbreaking concept of "brownlining," a form of destructive insurance practice that specifically targeted and exploited poor communities of color. the narrative is not just one of destruction, however; it also illuminates the rise of tenant-led resistance movements that fought back against the razing of their communities. this is a crucial and often overlooked part of the story that highlights the resilience and agency of the people most affected by this urban crisis.

frequently asked questions about born in flames

1. what is the main argument of born in flames?

   the central thesis of born in flames is that the wave of arson that devastated american cities, particularly neighborhoods of color, in the 1970s was not primarily caused by residents, but was a result of a system of arson-for-profit orchestrated by landlords. this was driven by perverse financial incentives, including new government-sponsored insurance policies and declining property values, which made buildings more valuable burned down than occupied.

2. what does the term brownlining mean in the context of the book?

   in born in flames, author bench ansfield introduces the term brownlining to describe the destructive and discriminatory insurance practices that targeted poor communities of color. these policies, implemented under the guise of racial redress, ultimately created the conditions that incentivized arson for profit.

3. who does born in flames identify as the primary culprits behind the urban fires of the 1970s?

   the book squarely identifies absentee landlords as the primary culprits who instigated the fires. motivated by the prospect of substantial insurance payouts, these landlords hired torches, often young people from the same communities, to set fire to their own properties.

4. does the book focus on a specific city or is it a broader american story?

   while born in flames tells a national story of urban arson that affected cities from boston to seattle, it centers its narrative on the bronx. the bronx was notoriously known as the arson capital of the world during this period and serves as a powerful case study for the broader trends the book explores.

5. what is bench ansfields background?

   bench ansfield is an assistant professor of history at temple university. they hold a ph.d. in american studies from yale university and are a historian specializing in racial capitalism, the carceral state, and twentieth-century u.s. cities. their extensive research for born in flames spanned a decade.