A memoir of one woman’s struggle to succeed as a wildland firefighter on an elite, male-dominated crew as they battle some of the fiercest wildfires in the West.
Ramsey’s memoir covers a lot of ground, skillfully ... Sometimes her struggles with ordinary life threaten to take over the narrative, but while they humanize her, they are not the most interesting part of this book. What resonates instead is fire and all that it entails ... Ramsey’s memoir is a moving, sometimes funny story about destruction, change and rebirth, told by a woman tempered by fire.
This is not a glamorous existence: underpaid and underfed, these crews work in dangerous conditions for the love of the work and the land. Readable and compelling.
Expertly structured ... This beautifully crafted memoir features both dramatic action and deep soul-searching by a woman on an elite wildland firefighting crew.
