Book review: Burnt

The firefighter helmet on the cover of the book caught my attention. I almost will always read a firefighter’s memoir. I was even more excited when the synopsis mentioned that it was written by a female firefighter. There aren’t many stories from female firefighters, so this was a first for me! Burnt will be released tomorrow May 23rd!

Synopsis

A captivating memoir of trailblazing and firefighting from a pioneering woman in a male-dominated field.

When Clare Frank was 17 years old, she became a firefighter in Northern California. Clare was five foot two and officially too young to join the service—she left her birthdate blank on her paperwork, hoping no one would notice. And she didn’t look like her peers, who sported an Adam’s apple and a mustache. But her brother was a firefighter and loved it, so she thought she’d try it out, too. Very soon, she knew she had found her calling.

Burnt is Clare’s inspiring, richly detailed, and open-hearted account of an extraordinary life in fire. It chronicles the transformation of a young adult determined to prove her mettle into a scarred and sensitive veteran, grappling with the weight of her duties as chief of fire protection—one of the highest-ranking women in Cal Fire history—while record-setting fires engulf her home state. Mentors and managing, funerals and scandal, pickup basketball, car crashes, and always fire—no one has written about this world, from this perspective, like Clare Frank. She masterfully mixes irreverence and awe, taking readers inside station houses, on daily calls, and along on wildfire campaigns where antics and dark humor balance terrifying risk, trauma, and a sense of almost holy responsibility. Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire is an unforgettable memoir from an American original.

Review

It was fascinating from the first page. Her storytelling is very captivating. I even learned a few things from her being a California firefighter. It was interesting to compare to what I knew about firefighting on the East Coast. Clare was very honest, strong, and inspiring. A book filled of her personal and professional stories, her journey climbing the ranks and of being a woman in a male dominated environment. It was a great read! This comes highly recommended especially to other females who aspires to be a firefighter.

Thank you Net Galley and Abrams Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.