{"product_id":"hotshot-a-life-on-fire-9780802149503","title":"Hotshot: A Life on Fire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eKIRKUS \u003c\/i\u003eBEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A beautiful reflection on justice, the environment, the self, and much more.\"--George Saunders\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe fierce debut memoir of a female firefighter, \u003ci\u003eHotshot \u003c\/i\u003enavigates the personal and environmental dangers of wildland firefighting\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom 2000 to 2010, River Selby was a wildland firefighter whose given name was Anastasia. This is a memoir of that time in their life--of Ana, the struggles she encountered, and the constraints of what it means to be female-bodied in a male-dominated industry. An illuminating debut from a fierce new voice, \u003ci\u003eHotshot \u003c\/i\u003eis a timely reckoning with both the personal and environmental dangers of wildland firefighting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the time they were nineteen, Selby had been homeless, addicted to drugs, and sexually assaulted more than once. In a last-ditch effort to find direction, they applied to be a wildland firefighter. Two years later, they joined an elite class of specially trained wildland firefighters known as hotshots. Over the course of five fire seasons, Selby delves into the world of the people--almost entirely men--who risk their lives to fight and sometimes prevent wildfires. Simultaneously hyper visible and invisible, Selby navigated an odd mix of camaraderie and rampant sexism on the job and, when they challenged it, a violent closing of ranks that excluded them from the work they'd come to love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on years of firsthand experience on the frontlines of fire and years of research, Selby examines how the collision of fire suppression policy, colonization, and climate change has led to fire seasons of unprecedented duration and severity. A work of rare intimacy, \u003ci\u003eHotshot \u003c\/i\u003eprovides new insight into fire, the people who fight it, and the diversity of ecosystems dependent on this elemental force.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e River Selby\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Grove Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/12\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.62lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.40w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780802149503\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/26\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRiver Selby\u003c\/b\u003e is a former hotshot and wildland firefighter, a writer, and a nonbinary person. They hold an MFA in creative writing from Syracuse University; they are currently pursuing their PhD. They were the recipient of the Emerging Writer's Prize for Fiction from \u003ci\u003eBoulevard Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e for their story, \"How Certain Fires Burn.\" Their writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew Ohio Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBellevue Literary Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVox\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHigh Country News\u003c\/i\u003e. They currently live in Tallahassee, Florida.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"River Selby \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48363646222493,"sku":"9780802149503","price":21.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_d34a0cc8-c5e5-4114-90dc-68b723b1c859.jpg?v=1780428257","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/hotshot-a-life-on-fire-9780802149503","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}