ABOUT THE BOOK: Set against Henry Ford’s audacious—and ultimately disastrous—attempt to industrialize the Amazon, Jungle of Ashes is a sweeping novel of ambition, exploitation, and hope. Centered on Joanna Rogge, the daughter of an American manager, and Rafael Caetano, a Brazilian mechanic, the story unfolds within Fordlandia, the real-life rubber plantation where cultural imposition, dangerous labor conditions, and political upheaval collide. Through the eyes of two star-crossed lovers, the novel reveals the human cost of unchecked power and the resilience found in connection across languages, [...]