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Young Men and Fire

Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Young Men and Fire recounts the tragic 1949 Mann Gulch wildfire in Montana, where fifteen elite US Forest Service Smokejumpers were overwhelmed, leaving only three survivors. Norman Maclean, haunted by the event for decades, pieces together this devastating tale with lyrical prose that explores the dangers of firefighting, human endurance, and loss.

This acclaimed work, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, stands alongside Maclean’s A River Runs through It and Other Stories as a classic of American Western literature. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition includes a new foreword by Timothy Egan, enriching the narrative of courage and tragedy.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in history, military and firefighting stories, and literary nonfiction. Its emotional depth and exploration of human character also appeal to those who appreciate American Western classics and real-life tales of bravery and loss.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A devastating and lyrical work of nonfiction, Young Men and Fire describes the events of August 5, 1949, when a crew of fifteen of the US Forest Service’s elite airborne firefighters, the Smokejumpers, stepped into the sky above a remote forest fire in the Montana wilderness. Two hours after their jump, all but three of the men were dead or mortally burned. Haunted by these deaths for forty years, Norman Maclean puts together the scattered pieces of the Mann Gulch tragedy in Young Men and Fire, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Alongside Maclean’s now-canonical A River Runs through It and Other Stories, Young Men and Fire is recognized today as a classic of the American West. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Maclean’s later triumph—the last book he would write—includes a powerful new foreword by Timothy Egan, author of The Big Burn and The Worst Hard Time. As moving and profound as when it was first published, Young Men and Fire honours the literary legacy of a man who gave voice to an essential corner of the American soul.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise Young Men and Fire as a poetic and somber masterpiece. John Holkeboer of the Wall Street Journal calls it the pinnacle of smokejumping literature and a classic of twentieth-century nonfiction. Dennis Drabelle from the Washington Post likens its depth to Melville’s Moby-Dick, inviting readers to "take the plunge" into its profound narrative. Timothy Foote of USA Today commends Maclean’s blend of compelling language with a powerful reconstruction of tragedy, describing the book as both heart-stirring and haunting.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226450353

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 May 2017

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Timothy Egan

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 2.0mm

Width: 14.0mm

Height: 22.0mm

Weight: 510g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Norman Maclean (1902 90), woodsman, scholar, teacher, and storyteller, grew up in and around Missoula, Montana, and worked for many years in logging camps and for the United States Forestry Service before beginning his academic career. He was the William Rainey Harper Professor of English at the University of Chicago until 1973.

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