Jungle of Ashes

A sweeping tale of ambition, resistance, and impossible love set in Henry Ford's ill-fated rubber empire in the Amazon. In 1928, industrial titan Henry Ford launched Fordlandia, a factory-town carved from the Brazilian rainforest in a bold attempt to control the global rubber trade. What was meant to be a triumph of American industry quickly unraveled into exploitation, cultural conflict, and ecological disaster. Seventeen-year-old Joanna Rogge is uprooted from Michigan when her father accepts a management post at the plantation. Longing to escape the narrow expectations of American society, Joanna is both captivated and unsettled by the jungle—and by Rafael Caetano, a Brazilian mechanic determined to claim a future beyond the limits imposed on him. As disease spreads, tensions mount, and unrest threatens to boil over, Joanna and Rafael are drawn into a forbidden romance that defies class, culture, and corporate rule. When revolution and repression collide, they must choose between safety and truth, duty and desire, survival and love. From Brynn Barineau, the award-nominated author of Jaguars and Other Game, Jungle of Ashes is a powerful portrait of a doomed utopia and the human cost of empire. Perfect for fans of richly researched historical fiction, cross-cultural love stories, and novels like The Poisonwood Bible, State of Wonder, and The Night Tiger.