Granite Mountain

"[Granite Mountain]is a harrowing story of heroism in the face of natural disaster. It perfectly illustrates the kind of teamwork and camaraderie that informed the legendary squad of hotshots working to save--in this case--their hometown from utter destruction by fire. As perhaps the least likely guy ever to become a hotshot, Brendan McDonough more than lives up to his role after having been taken underwing by Granite Mountain leader Eric Marsh. That he has been able to keep on even keel as the Yarnell Hill Fire's lone survivor, having lost his mentor and his best friends, speaks volumes about his character and is a lasting testimony to the strength of his lost brothers."

"Gear up with Brendan McDonough and his brothers in the elite Granite Mountain crew of wildland firefighters. Suspenseful and intense, [Granite Mountain] sears to the heart. Nonfiction writing at its best."

"For an East Coast guy like me this book was a real education in wildfires, and the last few chapters were a terrifying lesson in how they can do the unpredictable. I was left with nothing but admiration for the Granite Mountain hotshot crew who put their lives on the line to protect the town of Yarnell."

"This is a new breed of war story, of the citizen soldiers who stand between life and death, the forest and the fire. Through burnt moonscapes, in air choked with ash, they face flames as tall as towers and say, 'You shall not pass.' Powerful and lasting, this is a story of men who gave their all."

"With his insightful barbs aimed at our increasingly unrealistic ideal of life in the West and the many ways in which wildland firefighters are let down by those who fund and rely upon them, and brutally honest assessment of his struggles with PTSD, McDonough gives readers a unique and bracing literary experience.

"The dangers of battling fires on the ground and air are many and McDonough thrillingly explains the terror and panic of the fateful June 30, 2013 tragedy at Yarnell Hill, where all 19 of his crew members perished, leaving him with painful survivor's guilt. But strong support propelled him into a new life of grace and renewal."

"[Granite Mountain] is sure to captivate readers . . . Brendan McDonough had a very unusual story to tell, and he has done it well."

McDonough's gut-wrenching survival story, written with the expert assistance of best-selling Talty (Escape from the Land of Snows, 2011) possesses a searing degree of emotion. With his insightful barbs aimed at our increasingly unrealistic ideal of life in the West and the many ways in which wildland firefighters are let down by those who fund and rely upon them, and brutally honest assessment of his struggles with PTSD, McDonough gives readers a unique and bracing literary experience.