Young Men & Fire

By: Norman Maclean

Narrated by: John MacLean

National Book Critics Circle, Nonfiction, 1993

On August 5, 1949, a crew of 15 of the U.S. Forest Service's elite airborne firefighters, the Smokejumpers, stepped into the sky above a remote forest fire in the Montana wilderness. Less than one hour later, all but three were dead or fatally burned in a "blowup," an explosive 2,000-degree firestorm 300 feet tall. Norman MacLean spent the last 14 years of his life determined to sift through grief and controversy in search of the truth behind the Mann Gulch tragedy, one of the worst disasters in the history of the Forest Service. Young Men and Fire is the culmination of his investigations. It is a story about honor, death, compassion, and the human spirit.

©1992 The University of Chicago (P)16 9; 2000 HighBridge Company; 1993 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"[MacLean]...remains true to the power of his own language and his own heart." (New York Times Book Review)
"A sort of pilgrimage - sometimes poetic, often earthy, and full of asides that connect the fire to experiences we all share." (Audubon)

Good information

The information brought forward was very good, and recommended read for anyone planning to go into wildland firefighting. Narrator did make it hard to keep attention to the information coming forth.

informative story

i like the story. the audio has alot of background static. and i didnt care for the music that played over the voice between chapters. the last chapter was verging on preaching also.

Great book by a wonderful writer with absolutely horrid narration

Great story and the author is always great. I had to struggle to get through the book, though, because the narrating was so annoying.

A stunning (and true) tale!

I read the book, and found it to be beautiful and compelling. It's also a very informative tale. You'll learn how fires are fought, and how men are lost fighting them. Norm Maclean wrote two books, and in my opinion, this one is better than "A River Runs Through It."

Another masterpiece!

The Maclean’s have teamed up to write and read a magnificent tribute to smokejumper’s that crackles!