FIRE SEASON Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout

“Smoke and flames make people nervous,” writes Philip Connors. For this reason, in part, the U.S. Forest Service deploys a near-mythical professional to deal with the problem: the solitary ranger who lives alone for months in a tiny fire station cabin. Connors, who has been stationed for the last eight fire seasons in the Gila Wilderness (the rest of the time he tends bar in New Mexico), provides four strands to his story: (1) a personal memoir detailing his attraction to the job, (2) the history of forest preservation, (3) sketches of others who have served in the job, and (4) details about the science of finding and fighting forest fires. Narrator Sean Runnette provides a relaxed reading that emphasizes the Zen qualities of the job. The resulting audiobook should appeal to armchair rangers (and closet pyromaniacs). R.W.S. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]