Kelly Ramsey's brilliant book details her trials and tribulations during her journey to becoming and being a hotshot. The descriptions of what it was like trying to hike up steep hills with added weight while trying not to appear weak were particularly memorable. However, my favorite aspect of the memoir is how Ramsey did not shy away from painting a full picture of herself, the hotshot training environment, and the system in which everything exists. She expertly captured the complexity of what it is like being a woman in a male dominated field. The intricacies of the internal struggle and external environment (physical and social) were so expertly described that it felt like I was there experiencing it with her. I found myself fully invested in Ramsey's story, rooting for her to make or not make certain decisions. A full human experience was presented and that's everything I can hope for in a memoir.

In a world of ever changing climate, the increased severity in natural disasters is something that shakes me to my core. Devastating floods, record breaking hurricanes, and massive tornadoes rip through fly over towns and leave communities to reckon with the damage. I’ve always been most interested in wildfires; like many, I’ve stared into tiny campfire flames knowing the destruction they could cause if unleashed. Even living in New Jersey, we’ve had our fair share of wildfires in the past few years (luckily with little damage to structures) and watched firsthand as smoke made its way 850 miles from Canada to the NYC metro area. The fires in LA a few months ago were a wake up call to many, but raging wildfires were nothing new for Kelly Ramsey.

Ramsey’s memoir Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West is a personal look into the life of a female firefighter working on a hotshot crew, a group of highly trained firefighters who battle wildfire flames on the frontlines. As the only female on the squad in her inaugural year, Ramsey navigates group relationships, brutal physical work, and how to become “one of the guys” while balancing being a woman in a male-dominated industry. The book is also told in tandem with Ramsey’s life growing up across the country with an alcoholic father and how that relationship informs the way she tackles fire and the limits of physical endurance.

I found this story to be incredibly inspiring, and it had me doing a lot of reflection on my own strength, both physical and mental. A lot of Ramsey’s crew members describe her as a “bad ass,” and while there’s no doubt about that, I give all of those firefighters so much credit for putting their lives on the line to save our houses and businesses, especially knowing how much they get paid to do the job. Highly recommend this read!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for exchanging an e-ARC of this book for an unbiased review!

If you really try to avoid reading nonfiction,bio or autobiographical books,please give this a try.The author,Kelly Ramsey writes,what I feel,a totally honest book about her somewhat short but beloved job,family,co-workers,past loves and her wanting to be seen by others as more than just another woman trying to get seen for what she really is. As a college graduate she flounders trying to find herself and moves from one thing to another including getting married which didn’t work out for her.Finally finds herself through a love of natue and becomes a Forest Ranger. She decides to get a federal job with an elite group of hotshot firefighters and is hired as the only woman with 19 men and she not having any experience with fires. She does,eventually,gets the respect and love from her brave and hardworking team which she certainly deserves. There are chapters about her family and a father that eventually becomes a hard core alcoholic who destroys himself.There’s a mix of guys,sex,and boyfriends that don’t work out for her.The fire fighting descriptions are excellent and I could visualize most of it.
Thank you Netgalley,publisher,Scriber,and author,Kelly Ramsey for the arc ebook.
On sale, June 17,2025

Kelly Ramsey's story is one that needs to be out there and read. I loved how she worked hard and got the respect she deserved.
This is such a great look at women firefighters in the field and wildfires and how unpredictable they can be.
It does start out slow, but once Ramsey gets going and finds her voice it's hard not to keep reading.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

What a fantastic book! The first one I have read by this author but definitely can't wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

This was just ok. Female perspective in a male oriented profession is always welcome, and Ms. Ramsey's story will appeal to some readers.

While a little slow to start, I eventually found myself completely wrapped up in Kelly Ramsey’s story, rooting for her and her hotshot crew. I appreciated how honest she was in her writing, not glossing over the rough edges of her life. It’s a compelling story, that grapples with a lot of issues all of us deal with, even if we’re not firefighters about love and family and home and one I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the advance copy.

Pub date: June 17, 2025

Kelly Ramsey would be a delightful person to spend some time with. Her memoir Wildfire Days is filled with adventure and connection. Ms Ramsey shares stores from her childhood, many a challenge to read, interspersed with the challenges of becoming a Hotshot firefighter in Northern California in 2020. For the majority of the book Ms Ramsey was the only female character, the primary reason I wanted to read the book! She is a strong, tough and brave woman. I found it a challenge to keep up with all the male firefighters, but they weren’t her story. Her story was how hard a woman has to work to make it in a male dominated field. She did that, and she made her hard work into an entertaining book for those of us not capable of keeping up. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance readers copy.

Simply an outstanding memoir that is both timely (as wildfires continue to ravage our country in a scale previously unseen) and timeless (the story of someone finding love and family and her place in this world).