She became a rookie hotshot at the age of eighteen. Fighting raging forest fires in the canyons of California and on the mountains of Oregon and Colorado, and even in the sawgrass seas of Florida’s Everglades, Kate Hamberger spent six summers facing physical and mental challenges few are called to meet.

Working alongside veteran firefighters in a dangerous, male-dominated profession, Hamberger not only survived – she also thrived … matching the men on her team stride-for-stride as they all undertook the thrilling – and dangerous – job of fighting wildfires. In this riveting memoir, Hamberger recounts the fires she and her squads worked to control across the United States, the physical reserves they were forced to call upon in order to survive, the extraordinary people she fought alongside, and the close relationships that developed under the most intense of environments.

With great honesty and eloquence, she also speaks of falling in love and the missteps that are made when you realize that life has only prepared you for so much. She credits her faith with getting her through times of fear, loneliness, and uncertainty as she becomes a veteran firefighter herself.

In Dances with Fire, Hamberger relates the specifics of such infamous fires as the Yellowstone Fires of ’88 and the Dude Fire of ’90. She also recounts her days of working with the Prineville Hotshots before they left for the devastating and deadly South Canyon Fire of ’94.

A classic, picaresque tale of adventure and love, triumph and heartbreak, Kate Hamberger’s story of life on and off a hotshot crew during her summers of fire is a must read. .