Wildfire Days

A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West

By: Kelly Ramsey

Narrated by: Kelly Ramsey

In the exhilarating spirit of Wild and A Walk in the Park, an adventure-filled 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.

When Kelly Ramsey drives over a California mountain pass to join an elite firefighting crew, she’s terrified that she won’t be able to keep up with the intense demands of the job. Not only will she be the only woman on this hotshot crew and their first in ten years, she’ll also be among the oldest. As she trains relentlessly to overcome the crew’s skepticism and gain their respect, megafires erupt across the West, posing an increasing danger both on the job and back home. In vivid prose that evokes the majesty of Northern California’s forests, Kelly takes us on the ground to see how major wildfires are fought and to lay bare the psychological toll, the bone-deep weariness, and the unbreakable camaraderie that emerge in the face of nature’s fury.

Despite the wear and tear of her rookie year in fire, Kelly gears up for a second season, determined to prove that not only can a woman survive this work, she can excel. But when her plans to marry her partner start to crumble and sparks fly with a fellow crew member, Kelly wrestles with whether she’s truly outgrown the self-destructive patterns she’s learned from her father, whose drinking and itinerant ways haunt her. And as the season wears on, she discovers how tenuous “belonging” can be amid ever-changing crew dynamics.

In this vivid, visceral, and intimate memoir, Kelly wrestles with the immense power of fire for both destruction and renewal, confronted with the questions: Which fires do you fight, and which do you let burn you clean?

Critic reviews

"With an easygoing, personable tone, Ramsey takes listeners inside the drama of the job and also reveals vulnerability when sharing her own relationship struggles and personal doubts...her voice is undeniably authentic and will resonate with anyone who has shared similar struggles."

Wildfire Days SLAYS!

Inspiring story and excellent narration I listened to while on a backcountry trail running trip. Kelly Ramsey reads and it’s amazing!

Lyrical, badass and real

Wildfire Days is a strong, humorous and honest story about a woman finding her way in the world. I’ve lived in Seattle and Los Angeles for the past decade. Wildfires have become an unnervingly normal part of the year, but we rarely hear this side of the story. Learning from Kelly about what it actually takes; physically, mentally and emotionally, opened up an aspect of this new normal with beauty and practicality. But it’s not just a story about firefighting. Kelly writes about her own life in a lyrical, direct way, cutting to the core of things while still being firmly set in the day to day fires we all navigate.

The story is strong and timely, and her narration brings it all to together. I love when authors read their own books and the real emotion comes through. What I appreciate about professional narrators is how they can embody the characters. Kelly manages to do both incredibly well.

And one last but important note: how totally cool is it to have stories of women firefighters being badass and imperfect and real? I bet this book will inspire a lot of people :)

I felt like i was in the story! I couldn’t stop listening

I saw many parts of Kelly and her story within myself. A truly wonderful book!

Must read for wildland firefighters and their family and friends

Absolutely loved this book, listened between assignments and laughed, cried and loved every minute of it. Thank you for writing and sharing the rollercoaster of a ride but also the doldrums of fire