Inside the Flames: The Untold Story of a Hotshot’s Fierce Battle for Survival

Inside the Flames: The Untold Story of a Hotshot’s Fierce Battle for Survival

Reviewed by Sarah Rosenthal

[A note to the reader: when the events of the memoir take place, the author River Selby used she/her pronouns and went by a different first name. Selby is nonbinary and currently uses they/them pronouns. In this review, I refer to them by their current name and use they/them pronouns.]

cover of Hotshot: A Life on Fire by River Selby; picture of the author in fire gear in front of flamesAs I write this review, a dull scrim of smoke has descended upon Brooklyn, where I live. Wildfires in Canada are responsible for this haze, which obscures buildings in the distance that I typically take for granted as integral parts of my view. The haze, which last summer I might have shrugged off as a minor inconvenience, hits me differently now after reading River Selby’s debut memoir Hotshot: A Life On Fire (Atlantic Monthly Press; August 2025)

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