Forged in Fire: Essays by Idaho Writers Review

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(More customer reviews)"Fire warms, dissolves, enlightens;
Is the great promoter of vegetation and life,
If not necessary to the support of both."
-William Paley, "On the elements"
I ordered this book because I am a fan of Mary Clearman Blew and have reviewed some of her books in the past. I also know that most years Idaho is ground zero in the never ending effort to control wildfires in the American west and figured, correctly it turns out, that this collection of essays on fire and how it affects our lives would have a fair amount of writing on wildfires. I also was intrigued with the unusual history of the book. Originally the University of Idaho Press was to publish the book but sadly it was closed shortly after the proofs were submitted by the editors and thus the book was looking for a home. The University of Oklahoma Press, not known for publishing lackluster or marginal books, recognized the quality of the submissions and reputations of the editors and agreed to publish it in cooperation with the Idaho Humanities Council. It was a wise choice and speaks well for the reputation of the folks at OU Press.
This anthology contains essays by twenty writers, both established and novice, including two prize-winning stories by Kim Barnes and Robert Coker Johnson. The book offers a variety of essays not only about wildfires and firefighting but also the affects fire has on our lives in other than a wildfire setting. For example, the frightening story by Robert Johnson, winner of a Gettysburg Review award, about a trash fire that consumed a three year old boy and his experiences in a burn unit, is about fear, courage, and coming to terms with fire in a most unforgettable way. There are stories of campfires and a longing for the past, of burning Presto-logs, stolen no less by an author's mother, the ever present fire danger to ranchers and farmers in an area so achingly beautiful it makes the danger at least acceptable, and a host of other stories that, in the words of editor Blew, "like fire will warm, frighten, and entertain the reader."
The Greeks believed fire was one of the four basic elements which combined comprised the total of creation. This is a wonderful anthology that will provide the reader with a good overview of the many facets of fire and it's place in our history. A worthy addition to the readers' bookshelf.


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Fire has always gripped our imaginations. To quote Mary Clearman Blew, "It warms us, frightens us, and entertains us." In Forged in Fire, Blew and coeditor Phil Druker have assembled twenty gifted writers who explore the element from various perspectives.

Living as they do in a state that nearly every summer faces the threat and challenges of wildfire, Idaho writers are exceptionally well equipped to recount firsthand experiences. Featuring essays by both established and novice writers and including two prize-winning stories, Forged in Fire covers topics from escaping forest fires and smoke jumping, to fighting house fires and making campfires. The authors deal with human responses to fire-fear, courage, sadness-and the environmental response of regeneration.

As Americans grapple increasingly with the proliferation of forest fires and the environmental consequences, this collection has an especially timely resonance.

"These dramatic, self-reflective, and descriptive essays represent new understandings of fire and fire awareness in the American West."-Andrew Gulliford, author of Sacred Objects and Sacred Places: Preserving Tribal Traditions

Mary Clearman Blew is the author of Writing Her Own Life: ImogeneWelch, Western Rural Schoolteacher. She resides in Moscow, Idaho. Phil Druker writes for general audiences in natural history, natural-resource management, earth science, and geology. He resides in Moscow, Idaho.

This book sponsored by the Idaho Humanities Council

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