by 
Summers of Fire
A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage
by Linda Strader
Know More
Linda Strader is one of the first women hired on a fire crew with the U.S. Forest Service. A naïve twenty-year-old in the mid-1970s, she discovers fighting wildfires is challenging—but in a man’s world, they became only one of the challenges she would face. Battling fire is exhilarating, yet exhausting; the discrimination real and sometimes in her face. Summers of Fire is an Arizona to Alaska adventure story that honestly recounts the seven years Strader ventures into the heart of fires that scorch the land, vibrant friendships that fire the soul, and deep love that ends in devastating heartbreak.
A Word from the Author
There I was, thirty years old, starting a new life and a new career in Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona. I decided to get a few classes out of the way during summer session. One of those classes was English 101, where we were assigned to write a short story. I decided a fun one to write would be about my experience as a wildland firefighter on my first fire. The instructor surprised me by asking if he could share it with future classes as an example of a well-crafted story. Flattered, I agreed, and then completely forgot about it for 19 years.
The first 18 of those years went quickly, filled with completing the first degree, and then a second one. My career took off, and I found a good paying job. Good enough that I decided I could make it on my own, ending my unhappy 23-year marriage. Shortly after filing for divorce, I lost my job. Then my mom died. My life had completely fallen apart, and I didn’t know if I could even pick up the pieces much less glue them back together.
It was a comment by a neighbor that gave me something to think about other than all of those losses. After noticing a collage of my firefighting years, he suggested I write a book about my experiences.
I laughed off his comment at first, but then remembered that short story I’d written 19 years earlier. Maybe I should give it a shot. At first I didn’t care if I published, but after more time spent writing, and after positive feedback, I decided to try for publication. Four years and much hard work later, I landed a book deal with a small publisher.
My book, Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage will be released on May 1, 2018.
(Linda Strader, March 2018)
Get It