No Grass

by Shawna Legarza

Wildland firefighters, especially “hotshots,” are a breed alone. It is a lifestyle many will never understand. They are dispatched throughout the Nation, always ready to work in the very worst kind of disaster. They sleep wherever it’s safe and often do not shower for weeks. So why would a young woman, reared on a Nevada cattle ranch, give up the open spaces for a life of danger? This is only one of the questions answered with humor and insight in Shawna Legarza’s memoir, No Grass. After working her way through college as a firefighter, the author was part of the World Trade Center Recovery Efforts, where she met her husband who, like Legarza, was a firefighter. When he took his own life, the author mustered a new brand of courage and formed a non-for profit program to help the many physically and emotionally wounded firefighters, too brave to ask for help. This is a passionately told story, filled with determination and hope.

182 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2009

Reviews

[Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I clearly enjoyed this book as it was written by an absolutely fascinating woman who I had the pleasure to work with. It is a memoir about growing up on a ranch and being a firefighter. Shawna has had a full life in the time she has been on this earth. A compellign read for anyone who loves rural America and its National Forests.

[Stewart Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I would highly recommend this book.

[Hugh Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way it is in wildland firefighting. A tremendously moving story.