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marisatn's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I cringed, I laughed, I cried. Bryce Andrew’s reckoning with the legacy his ancestors handed down to him, both physical and intangible, was an interesting journey. His commitment to leaving his small place in the world better than he found it is laudable, especially as he acknowledges that it will never be enough to make up for the damage his ancestors caused in “settling” this country, but it is still worth trying. His reverence for the land and its original caretakers shines through in his writing.
liberrydude's review
3.0
I’d read the author’s two previous books. I thought the title was about wildfires in the West. It’s not. It’s about the culture of guns and violence, although the wildfires make an appearance at the end of the book.
Bryce recounts his exposure to guns as a city boy visiting Montana during the summer and transitions to hunting for the first time and concerns or fears for his safety as he’s working unarmed in remote valleys inhabited by lions, wolves, and bears. Soon though his father, who was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, gives him his grandfather’s .357 Smith&Wesson Magnum pistol. He feels safe now but he’s also plagued by thoughts of self destruction. He decides to turn the weapon into something else but is torn as it’s a connection to his grandfather. He’s plagued by guilt over what his ancestors have done to the world. Guilt over destroying a legacy of his grandfather, a WWII veteran. Then we are into the weeds of blacksmithing as he consults with the sage and guru of artisanal blacksmithing on how to turn his gun into a farm implement- a combination hoe and pick.
I grew up without guns and don’t own any despite having served thirty years in the Marines. I’d have a hard time doing what he did to basically a “relic” of his grandfather.
As always another introspective glimpse into man and nature.
Bryce recounts his exposure to guns as a city boy visiting Montana during the summer and transitions to hunting for the first time and concerns or fears for his safety as he’s working unarmed in remote valleys inhabited by lions, wolves, and bears. Soon though his father, who was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, gives him his grandfather’s .357 Smith&Wesson Magnum pistol. He feels safe now but he’s also plagued by thoughts of self destruction. He decides to turn the weapon into something else but is torn as it’s a connection to his grandfather. He’s plagued by guilt over what his ancestors have done to the world. Guilt over destroying a legacy of his grandfather, a WWII veteran. Then we are into the weeds of blacksmithing as he consults with the sage and guru of artisanal blacksmithing on how to turn his gun into a farm implement- a combination hoe and pick.
I grew up without guns and don’t own any despite having served thirty years in the Marines. I’d have a hard time doing what he did to basically a “relic” of his grandfather.
As always another introspective glimpse into man and nature.
kaycee_king's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I love anything and everything Bryce Andrews writes.
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