| Oops, it wasn't until I had had read almost the entire | | | | can think of little more than how to escape. The |
| book that I discovered that this was fiction and not | | | | opportunity arises when he attends his father's 'office' |
| biographical! This story is so well constructed it is | | | | Christmas party. The abusive elder Kowalski is also a |
| impossible to tell fact from fiction. The characters are | | | | fire fighter, and it is the station chief that offers Greg |
| life-like, and they are crafted with a skill and panache | | | | the opportunity to move to California and become a |
| that one rarely finds in a novel. I was devastated when | | | | seasonal member of the CDF. |
| I discovered it was a novel, I really wanted to ask Kurt | | | | This is an opportunity that Greg cannot turn down, |
| Kamm about that time on the mountain with the fire all | | | | escape from Saginaw and the oppressive regime that |
| around! | | | | his father has created. Of course there are |
| Having made my confession, let us talk about the | | | | downsides, what will happen to his mother and sister, |
| story. The title One Foot In The Black is a reference to | | | | who will still be under the ogre's spell. |
| fighting Wildfires, more importantly the placement of | | | | What Greg lacked in Saginaw, he finds in California, a |
| firefighters, they are in the just scorched area dealing | | | | father figure he can admire, a father figure that offers |
| with the fire at close range. It is to say the least a | | | | genuine friendship and leadership. Fighting wildfires is a |
| dangerous place to be. If the wind changes, you are in | | | | dangerous occupation, as Greg discovers first hand, |
| big trouble, but the science and experience shows that | | | | caught by surprise with a wind direction Greg faces a |
| you at least have a possible escape route. | | | | life or death situation. To save himself, or risk near |
| Author Kurt Kamm takes us on an odyssey of | | | | certain death to try and save his friend and mentor? |
| discovery, a discovery of what it is like to be on the | | | | I think it would be inappropriate to reveal more, I have a |
| fire line, and a look at what drives the people who risk | | | | sadistic streak! You will just have to read One Foot In |
| their lives so that we still have possessions after the | | | | The Black yourself to find out what happens! |
| fire has tried to rip through our property. Maybe most | | | | I really like the meticulous attention to detail that Kurt |
| important of all, we get to peek inside the mind of one | | | | Kamm has included. And clearly the detail is factual, his |
| young man that has decided to make this his career. | | | | book has been endorsed by several fire fighting |
| The style that Kamm has adopted is an interesting | | | | organizations. Kurt Kamm lives in Southern California |
| one, and one that essentially permits two very | | | | and has had some first hand experience with wild fires, |
| different stories to be told side by side. We have the | | | | apparently one actually made it to the front door of his |
| story of 19 year old Greg Kowalski entering the field of | | | | Malibu home. |
| wildfire fighting, and we have the rather dark and sad | | | | You can find out more about this author from his web |
| story of Greg's upbringing. Living in a dysfunctional | | | | site, and One Foot In The Black is available from |
| family with a verbal and physically abusive father Greg | | | | Amazon. |