My Lost Brothers: The Untold Story by the Yarnell Hill Fire’s Lone Survivor

With candor, determination, and a need for redemption, McDonough chronicles his difficult journey to join an elite hotshot crew of wildfire firefighters, which transformed him from an aimless druggie to a responsible team member. With coauthor Talty, McDonough describes himself as “a typical blond, blue-eyed SoCal boy” with a restless free-spirited mother and an absent junkie father. He’s rootless until he settles in Prescott, Ariz., where he enrolls in a program, Fire Explorer, that’s designed for teens who want to be firefighters. A career as a firefighter appeals to McDonough for the sense of brotherhood and service; he enrolls in courses but flunks out, sliding back into drugs and jail. His luck changes when he’s accepted into the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the most experienced wildfire fighting unit, and is given a second chance by its director and “his brothers” to become a capable member. The dangers of battling fires on the ground and air are many and McDonough thrillingly explains the terror and panic of the fateful June 30, 2013 tragedy at Yarnell Hill, where all 19 of his crew members perished, leaving him with painful survivor’s guilt. But strong support propelled him into a new life of grace and renewal. Agent: Scott Waxman, Waxman Leavell Literary Agency. (May)