About this item
FIRE IN THE HEART is a powerful memoir by a woman, once a shy, insecure schoolgirl, who reinvented herself as a professional wildland fire fighter. Determined to forge herself into a stronger, braver person, Mary climbs to heights she never imagined for herself, eventually directing blazes across the country. Filled with literal struggles for survival, tough choices and Mary's burning passion for what she does, Fire in the Heart, is an unflinching account of one woman's relationship with fire. But when she loses someone she loves to the famous Storm King Mountain forest fire in Colorado, which killed fourteen firefighters, Mary faces the hardest choice of her life; to stay in the game or turn back and try to find the woman she used to be. It is both a thrilling memoir about life-threatening work and a meditation on identity, strength, bravery, bonds, and survivor's guilt.
About the Author
Mary Emerick has been a firefighter, cave guide, wilderness ranger and naturalist. Her essays about the outdoors have appeared in anthologies and magazines, and she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2010. Her debut novel, The Geography of Water, was inspired by seven years of working as a kayak ranger on Alaska's wild coast. Her author website can be found at maryemerick.com.
