Editorial Content for My Lost Brothers: The Untold Story by the Yarnell Hill Fire's Lone Survivor
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Brendan McDonough's story about the events surrounding the Yarnell Hill Fire that claimed the lives of 19 young firefighters is sure to captivate readers who, even three years after the tragedy, are still curious about the lone survivor. Brendan doesn't sugarcoat the details of his life and is candid about the circumstances that led to his joining the Hotshots. He shares his dismay about having to move to Arizona --- a surfer dude who believed that “there was a whole lot of nothing east of Los Angeles.”
The story of Brendan's life before he joined the Granite Mountain Hotshots parallels many others who choose the easy path as soon as they are old enough to make choices: absent father, carefree mother, enabling grandparents, readily available drugs, felony conviction, loss of choices, depression, more attempts to escape reality. But, fortunately for Brendan, recovery and redemption are available to those willing to choose them. The birth of his daughter, combined with a horrible experience while getting high in a crack house, served to push him toward making the right choice.
"It is unusual for a 23-year-old to write a memoir. But Brendan McDonough had a very unusual story to tell, and he has done it well."
By this time, he had come to love the rugged land and the lifestyle of Prescott, Arizona. He was no longer snickering at cowboy hats and boots. Wanting to make something of his life, he took firefighting training and EMT classes, and was ready to make a fresh start. When an opening came up with the Hotshots, he applied and hoped for the best. Despite his felony conviction and suspended driver's license, he was hired. Eric Marsh, the leader of the Granite Mountain crew, was willing to give him the chance he needed.
The training that followed, the grueling five-mile runs, carrying 45-pound backpacks and the usual rookie humiliations did not dissuade him. Finally he was fit enough and ready. “One day, sooner or later, you'll come face-to-face with the natural world. And the natural world does not play by human rules.” Wildfires especially do not play by the rules. The Hotshots were called to fight them everywhere from Colorado to Minnesota.
On June 30, 2013, when a fire broke out on Yarnell Hill outside of Prescott, the Hotshot crew was well-experienced and ready to take it on. The men of Granite Mountain had fought many kinds of blazes throughout the fire season, yet nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to face. What began as a few “going-nowhere puffs of light gray smoke” would soon become a monster blaze, consuming everything in its path.
Brendan's recollections take the reader through the events leading up to the worst disaster that he and his brother Hotshots had ever faced. The outcome is known. Nineteen men lost their lives that day, and the one who remained was changed forever. The PTSD that followed, the unrelenting survivor's guilt, and the incident that finally led him to accept therapy all answer the questions that so many of us have had since that horrendous day.
It is unusual for a 23-year-old to write a memoir. But Brendan McDonough had a very unusual story to tell, and he has done it well.
Audiobook available, narrated by John Glouchevitch
Teaser
Brendan McDonough was on the verge of becoming a hopeless, inveterate heroin addict when he, for the sake of his young daughter, decided to turn his life around. He enlisted in the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of elite firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. On June 30, 2013, a freak, 3,000-degree inferno ultimately trapped his hotshot brothers, tragically killing all 19 of them. GRANITE MOUNTAIN traces McDonough's story of finding his way out of the dead end of drugs and the minute-by-minute account of the fateful day he lost the very men who had saved him.
Promo
Brendan McDonough was on the verge of becoming a hopeless, inveterate heroin addict when he, for the sake of his young daughter, decided to turn his life around. He enlisted in the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of elite firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. On June 30, 2013, a freak, 3,000-degree inferno ultimately trapped his hotshot brothers, tragically killing all 19 of them. GRANITE MOUNTAIN traces McDonough's story of finding his way out of the dead end of drugs and the minute-by-minute account of the fateful day he lost the very men who had saved him.
About the Book
A "unique and bracing" (Booklist) first-person account by the sole survivor of Arizona's disastrous 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, which took the lives of 19 "hotshots" --- firefighters trained specifically to battle wildfires.
Brendan McDonough was on the verge of becoming a hopeless, inveterate heroin addict when he, for the sake of his young daughter, decided to turn his life around. He enlisted in the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of elite firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. Their leader, Eric Marsh, was in a desperate crunch after four hotshots left the unit, and perhaps seeing a glimmer of promise in the skinny would-be recruit, he took a chance on the unlikely McDonough, and the chance paid off. Despite the crew's skepticism, and thanks in large part to Marsh's firm but loving encouragement, McDonough unlocked a latent drive and dedication, going on to successfully battle a number of blazes and eventually win the confidence of the men he came to call his brothers.
Then, on June 30, 2013, while McDonough --- "Donut" as he'd been dubbed by his team --- served as lookout, they confronted a freak, 3,000-degree inferno in nearby Yarnell, Arizona. The relentless firestorm ultimately trapped his hotshot brothers, tragically killing all 19 of them within minutes. Nationwide, it was the greatest loss of firefighter lives since the 9/11 attacks.
GRANITE MOUNTAIN is a gripping memoir that traces McDonough's story of finding his way out of the dead end of drugs, finding his purpose among the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and the minute-by-minute account of the fateful day he lost the very men who had saved him. A harrowing and redemptive tale of resilience in the face of tragedy, GRANITE MOUNTAIN is also a powerful reminder of the heroism of the people who put themselves in harm's way to protect us every day.
