Granite Mountain

I learn move every time i read others. This book makes me what to know more. Sadly this hurt my heart because of my daughters true love. But I now have a smart, beautiful 9yr old granddaughter. Ive been trying to put together things about her daddy that her ma may not…Theres not a day that goes by that i don’t think of him and the sad sad tragedy. Thank you so much for writing your story.

Nineteen firefighters were killed in the 2013 Yarnell, Arizona fire, making it America’s most tragic wildfire in the terms of death of firefighters. Yarnell surpasses the King Mountain, Colorado fire in 1994 and the Mann Gulch, Montana fire in 1948. Everyone who lives in the American West, especially in non-urban areas, know the danger of wildfires and this fire hit a little too close to home for our family. One of the firefighters killed that June afternoon had, in the mid-1990s, been a member of a youth group at the church I served in Cedar City, Utah. He left behind a wife and two children. I read this book with Joe in mind.This book is more about the author, Brendan McDonough, than it is about the fire or even firefighting. While he does covers what happens that afternoon, the whole story is seen through Brendan’s eyes. It is a story of redemption as Brendan goes from being a drug dealer and user to a member of an elite fire-fighting team. He is to be commended for having turned his life around and one can easily understand how he was so distraught after losing his “family” in the fire.On the afternoon of the fire, Brendan was station as the team’s lookout. When the fire blew up, his escape route was different than that of the crew who were working below him in an area filled with bushy vegetation. For some reason, the Granite Hotspots didn’t take the escape route they’d planned. It was a fatal mistake. They were caught in a canyon filled with shrub. With the fire pushing in on them, they attempted to clear away shrubs and to crawl into their safety blankets in the hope the fire would burn pass them. They all died.I was disappointed that I didn’t learn anything about the kid I once knew. Brendan only discusses a handful of the fellow firefighters who were a part of the Granite Hot Shot team. I would have also learned more about what investigators have discovered about the fire, but this is a personal story. The book does not cover the investigation that followed the incident. However, the story from Brendan’s eyes is well told and the book is easy to read.

What do you say for such loss of life? I am very glad Brendan survived but my heart breaks for his lost brothers. I live in a state that burns all the time and we've, in the last few years, gone through record breaking, horrific fires. I have always had tremendous respect for our fire fighters but this book and their story even more so when I didn't think I could respect those in that profession more. Thank you all for you courage and sacrifice to run in when the rest of us are running out.

Riveting from start to finish.Brendan McDonough carries prose that could rival some of the best action-packed movies on the big screen. Even though the reader should be aware of the coming storm that our characters will ultimately face, Mr. McDonough injects healthy amounts of humor that will bring both laughter and tears.Why You'll Love This Book:Be careful, within the first chapter I had committed to reading in one sitting. Each part of the story is the perfect length, capturing Brendan's experiences from a drifting drug addict to fighting on the frontline of some of America's largest wildfires.My Lost Brothers is easily a coming of age story. We join Brendan at 18 (although a chapter or two is dedicated towards his youth) without a real plan, recently giving birth to a daughter, and struggling with addiction. He finds belonging and learns "integrity" amongst a group of wildfire fighters known as hotshots. Tasked with controlling the fires from the frontline, hotshots are nearly always in danger as variables and changes in the elements can often transform the way a fire is behaving in mere seconds. As the reader is taken to the battlefield of one of the most powerful fires in recent memory, Brendan remains steadfast by providing text that is easily understandable and goes out of the way to breakdown technical jargon.The book is a great read for those both young and old. The reading is simple enough and it would make for a great gift for a recent graduate or someone in need of direction. Brendan dedicates a few chapters to his personal struggles with PTSD a provides an intimate account of what drove him to seek help. He does step out of the narrative at points, pleading for those that are struggling to do the same.In conclusion, My Lost Brothers is as near to being completing satisfying as a book can get.I felt that I would feel guilty if I finished it on another day, part of me feels you'll share this too.Why You Won't Love This Book:Do you not enjoy being so drawn by a book as to be forced to read it in one sitting?

After watching Only the Brave, I had to find out more about the Yarnell Hill Fire and the true story of Brendan McDonough, the sole survivor. This book tells the moving story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and how Brendan's life was saved figuratively and then physically. It's searingly honest and painful, a fitting tribute to the brave men who lost their lives on that fateful day in 2013. It was interesting to hear more about each member of the group and Brendan's relationship with them. It's beautifully written and very educational as well - I learned a lot about the nature of fire and how to fight it. This is a haunting and powerful memoir.

Bought this book because a distant relation of ours was one of the ones that perished in granite mountain hotshotsVery good book of exceptionaly brave fire fighters

My partner enjoyed this book

Amazing story about the heroes. Nothing will ever repay their or their families sacrafice. And more so, glad 'Donut' is still with us and sharing the story of his heroic brothers

Very good first hand account