doesn’t care if you die — and if land could
prefer anything, it might even prefer that
you do.
Melissa, Lowell, Mich.A lifelong Californian, I’ve evacuated
multiple fi res in the past fi ve years. As a
result, I constantly think of leaving this
beautiful state to ease my anxieties, the
health consequence of often smoke-
choked skies and the replenishment of
essentials (food, medicine, batteries) in
my fi re go-bag kept near the front door.
The land of giant trees, natural wonders
— there is nowhere more beautiful than
California. It breaks my heart what has
happened via drought, poor forest man-
agement and those utilities whose poles
can get knocked down during strong
winds, sparking fi re. In gratitude for
decades of California’s natural beauty,
may it remain so. But my bags are packed.
D.B., U.S.A.RE: THE HUMAN TOLL OF AMERICA’S
AIR WARS
Azmat Khan reported on how American
airstrikes resulted in terror and tragedy for
civilians in war zones.In this era of showering praise on our
military (‘‘Thanks for your service,’’ etc.),
I hope it is not too indelicate for me to
suggest that this is a cowardly way to fi ght.
Mindful of Americans’ intolerance for U.S.
casualties, we have adopted a push-but-
ton remote war, where our guys are safe
in air-conditioned control rooms while
death and destruction are rained down by
remote devices. Can you imagine our reac-
tion if another country killed Americans
without even getting their hands dirty?
John Manoush, Venice, Fla.Illustrations by Giacomo Gambineri 5The Thread
I didn’t marry California — she birthed
me. And like any grown child, I have the
responsibility to care for her as she ages.
I left once and missed her to an extent
that surprised me. I have lived near the
beach, in the mountains, in the city and
in the suburbs. I have loved and hated
them all, but I will die here as I was born:
a Californian.
Andrea Everett, California
Fantastic, well-researched article. Born
and raised in California, I lost my home in
a Malibu wildfi re in the ’90s, and moved
to the Sonoma hills in 2012, which was
heaven until the Tubbs fi re tore through
everything in 2017. Some can deal with
the constant evacuations, fear, anxiety,
etc. I cannot. Writing this from my new
home in Tucson, Ariz., missing my home
state (and its relatively sane politicians)
terribly. But I feel safe — which is, as they
say, priceless.
Sue S., Tucson, Ariz.
As a Michigander, the overly romanti-
cized perceptions of one’s home here are
just weird. Nature is, at best, an indiff erent
partner, and at worst, actively trying to
kill you. While there are obviously mas-
sive systemic problems and an indiff er-
ent federal government here, I can’t help
but ponder how many are turning a blind
eye because of this weird perception that
nature is benevolent and protective. Cal-
ifornia is a brutal landscape of desert and
wilderness pretending to be farmland. It
Thank you for telling their stories and for
saying their names. These details burn
themselves into our souls. Incredible
journalism, and fascinating to read about
the author’s methodology in conducting
interviews and piecing together the truth.
But I wonder, was it right to cause Kat-
beeah fresh heartbreak by telling her that
our leaders knew about the children on
the roof and chose to kill them anyway?
Robbie, Asheville, N.C.RE: THE BOY KING OF YOUTUBE
Jay Caspian Kang profi led Ryan Kaji, a
10-year-old YouTuber whose channel has
more than 30 million followers.Of all the kid-specifi c content my child
consumes, I have most disliked ‘‘Ryan’s
World’’ (and blocked it by the time she
was 6 or so). She loved Ryan, but over time
I could see her becoming more material-
istic. Every stop we made on an errand,
she would beg me to buy her a toy. She
became obsessed with getting new toys,
but then upon receiving one would quick-
ly lose interest and move on to wanting
the next new toy. The focus was on getting
something, anything, new — not on actu-
ally playing with or valuing the toys. I did
fi nd that her ‘‘new toy’’ obsession greatly
diminished after we stopped making the
‘‘Ryan’’ content available to her. To each
their own, but Ryan’s World isn’t one I
want my kid to live in.
Karen, MemphisCORRECTION:
An article on Dec. 26 about Janet Malcolm
misstated Ingrid Sischy’s age in 1986. She
was 34, not 27.Send your thoughts to [email protected].‘Nature is,
at best, an
indifferent
partner,
and at worst,
actively trying
to kill you .’Readers respond to the 1.9.22 issue.
RE: THIS ISN’T THE CALIFORNIA I
MARRIED
Elizabeth Weil wrote about the reality of
living with fi res in California.
On the Cover:
Photograph by
Philip Montgomery