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Fire Review

First, a word of caution. Those looking for the firejumper equivalent of "The Perfect Storm" should search elsewhere. This is a compilation of short varied essays by Junger on a number of dangerous professions/environments. Reveiwers on Amazon continue to amaze me with their inability to discern just what they're buying before they buy it and slagging decent works with 1-star reviews because they can't be bothered to read. That said, I aim to review the work as-is, not as-I-wish-it-would-have-been.

This is definitely a mixed bag. The essays on firejumpers are sometimes redundant, made moreso by being grouped together in the collection, but they are presented as originally published, which meant that each essay had to be self-contained and informative on its own. So, while I understand WHY, it still becomes tiresome the third time you read about the allure of brushfires.

I was actually more intrigued by the tales of time and place, such as the illicit diamond trade in Sierra Leone and the war in Afghanistan. The material on Ahmad Shah Massoud, published mere months before Massoud's assassination on 9/9/01 and the subsequent events of 9/11, makes this a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in that conflict and its role in what followed.

Fire Overview

A riveting collection of literary journalism by the bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, capped off brilliantly by a new Afterword and a timely essay about war-torn Afghanistan -- a superb eyewitness report about the Taliban's defeat in Kabul -- new to book form.

Sebastian Junger has made a specialty of bringing to life the drama of nature and human nature. Few writers have been to so many disparate and desperate corners of the globe. Fewer still have met the standard of great journalism more consistently. None has provided more starkly memorable evocations of extreme events. From the murderous mechanics of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone, to an inferno forest fire burning out of control in the steep canyons of Idaho, to the forensics of genocide in Kosovo, this collection of Junger's reporting will take readers to places they need to know about but wouldn't dream of going on their own. In his company we travel to these places, pass through frightening checkpoints, actual and psychological, and come face-to-face with the truth.

Fire Specifications

The events explored in Fire focus on "people confronting situations that could easily destroy them," and as he demonstrated in The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger is skilled at breaking such situations down to their core elements. In this exciting book, he reports on raging forest fires in the Western U.S, war zones in Kosovo and Afghanistan, the deadly diamond trade in Sierra Leone, the plight of travelers kidnapped by guerrillas in Kashmir, the last living whale harpooner on the Caribbean island of Bequia, and the Greek-Turkish conflict on Cyprus. There is also a fascinating chapter on John Colter (explorer, fur trader, and member of the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark) in which he comments on the need for some to seek adventure as a means of escape from our relatively safe modern world: "Life in modern society is designed to eliminate as many unforeseen events as possible, and as inviting as that seems, it leaves us hopelessly underutilized.... Threats to our safety and comfort have been so completely wiped out that we have to go out of our way to create them." Junger has a keen grasp on this mentality (in fact, he exhibits it himself), and in Fire he clearly explains the fears and difficulties involved in reporting on dangerous events from foreign countries: "You have two weeks to understand a completely alien culture, find a story that no one has heard of, and run it into the ground. It never feels even remotely possible. But it is." And he has done it well in this thrilling book. --Shawn Carkonen

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Customer Reviews

Good Adventure Stories - J. Bosiljevac - san fran, ca
This book is a collection of Junger's articles. As such, it feels a little disjointed. The topics of the articles range from smoke jumpers who fight wildfires in the western U.S. to the diamond trade in Sierra Leone to the wars in Kosovo and Afghanistan. But if the topics seem unrelated, the book holds together in its sense of urgency and suspense, and the theme of a chaotic world in which the forces of nature and humanity constantly threaten to overwhelm the protagonists. Junger's style is sparse and to the point, but he paints vivid pictures and his page-turning narrative style makes it hard to put this book down.

Excellent writing, a poignant book - J. Cox - USA
I bought and read "Fire" a few years back when it was first published, and I have to say that every piece in this book was worthwhile. From the introduction -- by all means read the introduction and his experiences as a tree cutter -- to the final piece about Afghanistan, there is so much that is poignant. Junger is a terrific writer, the real deal.

A taste of excitement...just a taste - Mark T. Sorna - Seattle, WA
I bought this book knowing that it was about more than just fire fighting. My main purpose for buying it was actually the story about Ahmad Shah Massoud because there hasn't been a lot written about him. After I read the book I became interested in things I do not usually read about (usually I read about military history and foreign affairs). The story about smoke jumpers really increased my interest in that topic as well as the one about whaling.

Although Junger's stories in this book are short and not related, he writes with a style that keeps you interested. I actually kinda like this style because it gives you a short exciting piece that you can finish on your lunch break. If you want more in depth info on the topic you can find a book that centers on that topic. This book is cool because it exposes the reader to many different exciting stories without bogging you down with a long prose. The book is fun....not really intended for a reference....just for entertaining, well written "mini-reads".

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 29, 2010 17:30:07

Books Outdoors & Nature

Sunday, August 29, 2010