In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful speaks with Brynn Barineau, author of Jungle of Ashes, about the astonishing true history behind her novel: Henry Ford’s attempt to build a rubber empire in the Brazilian Amazon. Together, they explore Fordlandia as both historical spectacle and human tragedy—an ambitious industrial dream undone by arrogance, cultural misunderstanding, and the brutal realities of the rainforest.

Brynn shares how her years living in Brazil first introduced her to this overlooked story and why she felt compelled to turn it into fiction. The conversation moves from the real history of Fordlandia to the craft of writing Jungle of Ashes, including her decision to humanize this vast historical failure through two young protagonists, Joanna and Rafael. Brynn and  ...