My overall feeling once I finished this book is what a waste, as Ms. Santos provides a chronicle of a unit of firefighters, how they lived, and how they died. Call this is group portrait of a group of average men who aspired to live superior lives.

The big gap is that the perspective of the controlling political authorities, from the city government of Yarnell (AZ), to the state government of Arizona is not captured in this work. Some blame for the death of these men has to accrue to the fire supervisors, who lost control of a rapidly developing situation, but that there not sufficient command and control resources falls squarely on a state government that was trying to cheap out on public security. Add to that the perversity of residential building in areas that are guaranteed to be burned over, and expectations that said private property will be defended, and the foundations of disaster are established.

The one thing that can't be explained is why the Granite Mountain men chose to leave a situation of relative safety and to put themselves in a death trap. One can only have suspicions, but these were tired men who were trying to do too much, were trying to defend their own home town from the fire, and who had no command backup to override a bad decision. Still, firefighting will always be a dangerous business, and while you have to go out if it's your duty, nothing says you have to come back. ( )

I read this in preparation for the upcoming film and I thought it was a tight, well-written account of events. I wasn't there so I can judge accuracy, but I grew up in an area where wildfires were terribly common and I think the author captured well what it's like to live in an area like that. I think this book also highlights how different rural life is: the different risks, the different culture, the different response given by other people and the nation as whole. I'd definitely recommend this for folks who are interested in the movie or find firefighting interesting in general. And I really hope this sparks some conversation around salary/benefits/municipal budgets and positive changes we can make there. ( )

Of the two recent books written about the tragic wildfire on Yarnell Hill and the Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives, this one covers the men who died. Well researched and written by a journalist, it is a needed book that details the events. It is also a good companion to the other volume, "My Lost Brothers" that focuses on the life of the one survivor from the Granite Mountain Hotshots. (lj Dec2017) ( )

This is a compelling story of the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona, and of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died fighting it. Fernanda Santos did excellent work in presenting this story. The research into the subject was accurate, exhausting and thorough. Book was a great mix of human element and fire fighting technique. The issues are explained and easily understood without exhaustive, droll and complicated analysis.;;great synthesis. If she had another book, I'd read it. ( )

In 2013, 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots died fighting a fire outside of Yarnell, Arizona. One, working as a lookout, survived. Many children - some not yet born - were left without fathers, parents lost their sons, and in the end, a town lost its brothers.

I picked up this book thinking I'd learn a little bit more about what happened on that day, but in reality that day (despite the blurbs on the back) doesn't seem to take up much of the book at all. Only about 30 of the 225 pages are about that day; the rest of the book focuses on providing an explanation of how wildfire fighting works, and introducing us to the men who comprised the Granite Mountain Hotshots. After the description of the fire, the author then turns to talking about how some of the families have been able to move forward with their lives.

The storytelling is great - Ms. Santos is clearly a very talented writer. But I felt that the book could have been longer and more in-depth. I appreciate that she wasn't focused on assigning blame, but there was really no analysis of the reasons why the situation came about. She doesn't hold back in her descriptions of some decisions, but unlike, say, Five Days at Memorial, in this book I just didn’t get the sense of strong journalistic analysis. That's a real bummer, since Ms. Santos is a journalist, and I really feel like we all would benefit from some analysis in this book.

She does, however, at least touch on the super fucked-upedness of the majority of these men not being full-time, benefited employees (your jaw may drop at the base wages they earn), and the fact that in government, despite what some folks may say, the focus is always on trying to save more money, cut more costs, and that can come at a price - both to the individuals working for the government and the communities they are hired to protect.

This book is more like a biography of 19 people and their families, which is lovely, but not what I thought I was getting from this book. The stories Ms. Santos tells of the families are sweet and interesting, but with 19 men and their families to discuss, each one feels like it is clipped, so we don't really get to know any of them very well.

If you find wildfire fighting interesting, and if you generally enjoy books on topics such as emergencies and disasters, I think you'll find this a worthwhile read. ( )