Wow, what an enlightening book about contemporary issues plaguing the U.S.: the exploding increase in wildfires driven by climate change; the phenomenon of female incarceration; inmate firefighting and its continuity with slavery and indentured servitude; the problem of rehabilitation; American racism; and drug addiction. Without inmate firefighters, California would be unable to cope with the exponential increase in number and ferocity of wildfires in the past decade, particularly wildfire threatening populated areas. And the training and experience of performing invaluable work changes the lives of the incarcerated women who qualify for the program. But Lowe also grapples with the ethical problems with coercing inmates to put their lives at risk for dollars a day in service to the state of California—is firefighting really a choice when the alternative is the boredom, sexual and physical danger, pervasive drugs and alcohol, and utter waste of human potential in prison? The author follows inmate firefighters after parole to demonstrate the difficulty of pursuing a career in forestry or firefighting and wraps up with the appalling statistics on Coronavirus in prison. I will never forget the vision of a 40,000-foot firenado—everyone should read this book.