Hail of Fire: A Man and His Family Face Natural Disaster - Hardcover
Every year people watch in shock as homes are destroyed and communities devastated by natural disasters. As the media arrives, the information that is reported is mainly statistical. The horror of living through and recovering from the experience is rarely told because almost no one has the emotional strength to speak out while the smoke is still in the air or the floodwaters are still receding. The stories of a disaster’s most important effects which unfold invisibly for months and sometimes years are never told. That is, until now.
Hail of Fire: A Man and His Family Face Natural Disaster is an intimate account of the third worst wildfire in modern U.S. history, and the most destructive in the history of Texas. It is a memoir about what happened to Randy Fritz, an artist turned politician turned public policy leader, and his family during and after, combining a searing account of the fire as it grew to apocalyptic strength with universal themes of loss, grief, and the rebuilding of one’s life after a calamitous event.
The wildfire itself was traumatic to those who witnessed it and suffered its immediate aftermath. But the most significant impact came in the months and years that followed.
Hail of Fire: A Man and His Family Face Natural Disaster is an intimate account of the third worst wildfire in modern U.S. history, and the most destructive in the history of Texas. It is a memoir about what happened to Randy Fritz, an artist turned politician turned public policy leader, and his family during and after, combining a searing account of the fire as it grew to apocalyptic strength with universal themes of loss, grief, and the rebuilding of one’s life after a calamitous event.
The wildfire itself was traumatic to those who witnessed it and suffered its immediate aftermath. But the most significant impact came in the months and years that followed.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
Randy Fritz is the former chief operating officer of the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state’s public and mental health agency. He helped coordinate the state’s response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and led the team that implemented the Children’s Health Insurance Program in Texas.
Fritz lives in Bastrop, Texas, with his wife, Holly, and their youngest daughter, Miranda.
Review:
Fritz lives in Bastrop, Texas, with his wife, Holly, and their youngest daughter, Miranda.
Designated as Finalist for Texas Institute of Letters Carr P. Collins Award for Best Book of Nonfiction
"Puts a human face on what a natural disaster of this magnitude means for a family that unexpectedly lost their home and struggled to pick up the pieces of their lives one hot summer day." Environmental History
A rare text, written not from a firefighter’s perspective or through the lens of history, politics, or policy, but from the interior life of a man whose home and community were incinerated in the furious Bastrop County Complex Fire of 2011.” Journal of Forestry
Randy Fritz’s glorious book, Hail of Fire, reminds us that at its core Texas is about the land. The best among us are those who love the land in the kind of heart-stopping way Fritz loves the Lost Pines of Bastrop County. I grew up in Deep East Texas among the loblollies, which became for me symbols of life itself and the possibility of life after life. So I found myself weeping with gratitude for the graciousness of Fritz’s descriptions of loblollies as iconic sculptures and of his contemplation of them as living creatures among us. A man who can grieve the loss of a forest is a man who can lead us to a conversation about the importance of telling our stories of losses of all kinds. Whether he’s describing ravaged ecosystems, existential suffering, or fatherly concerns for his daughters, Fritz’s voice rings true. If you’ve ever loved a tree or a person do yourself a favor: read this book, because at its core love in all its splendor and sadness is what it’s about.”
Jan Jarboe Russell, author of The Train to Crystal City
"The power of the book is in the recovery [Fritz] finds mindfulness and acceptance” and the strength to make a fresh start in a place with haunted memories."
Kirkus Reviews
Randy Fritz has written a mesmerizing account of the Bastrop fire, the worst in Texas history and one of the worst ever nationally. The heart of Hail of Fire is how an everyday citizen survives the angst and awfulness of a natural disaster. Highly recommended!”
Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
"As Fritz and his family deal with shock, instability, and the stress involved in trying to move forward, their perseverance and strength, and that of those around them, demonstrate that life definitely can rise from the ashes." Booklist
"A roller coaster ride.... brutally honest, intimate and affecting." Austin American-Statesman
"Though the title of his memoir of the 2011 Bastrop wildfire might suggest that readers will be placed right in the middle of one of the worst conflagrations in Texas history, this Lost Pines resident is more interested in what followed: the displacement of his family after the loss of their house, and the fraught debate over whether to rebuild or walk away from their longtime home." Texas Monthly
"In this painstakingly written story of ruin and renewal, Fritz eloquently reflects on how the events of the Bastrop fire of September 2011 and their aftermath transformed him, his family and the lives of their closest friends and neighbors." San Antonio Express-News
"Every time a fire destroys a family’s home, the media shows up right away to cover the disaster and report what’s happened. But not very often does the media ever tell you what happens after the fire because most victims don’t have the emotional strength to speak out while the smoke is still in the air. This story is told through the eyes of Randy Fritz who experienced the third worst wildfire in modern U.S. history. He tells the story of grief, loss and how his family rebuilt their lives after the calamitous event." San Francisco Book Review
"Fritz viscerally conveys the horror, loss, and regret. ... Fritz’s engaging narrative is interwoven with flashbacks that serve to flesh out his family’s lives and powerfully convey what has been lost. ... The facts are compelling and the science of wildfires as explained in layman’s terms by Fritz is fascinating." Lone Star Literary Life
"Fritz writes with searing honesty about the traumatic event and its aftermath, and the slow journey to recovery from sudden psychological and material devastation." Santa Fe New Mexican
"Puts a human face on what a natural disaster of this magnitude means for a family that unexpectedly lost their home and struggled to pick up the pieces of their lives one hot summer day." Environmental History
A rare text, written not from a firefighter’s perspective or through the lens of history, politics, or policy, but from the interior life of a man whose home and community were incinerated in the furious Bastrop County Complex Fire of 2011.” Journal of Forestry
Randy Fritz’s glorious book, Hail of Fire, reminds us that at its core Texas is about the land. The best among us are those who love the land in the kind of heart-stopping way Fritz loves the Lost Pines of Bastrop County. I grew up in Deep East Texas among the loblollies, which became for me symbols of life itself and the possibility of life after life. So I found myself weeping with gratitude for the graciousness of Fritz’s descriptions of loblollies as iconic sculptures and of his contemplation of them as living creatures among us. A man who can grieve the loss of a forest is a man who can lead us to a conversation about the importance of telling our stories of losses of all kinds. Whether he’s describing ravaged ecosystems, existential suffering, or fatherly concerns for his daughters, Fritz’s voice rings true. If you’ve ever loved a tree or a person do yourself a favor: read this book, because at its core love in all its splendor and sadness is what it’s about.”
Jan Jarboe Russell, author of The Train to Crystal City
"The power of the book is in the recovery [Fritz] finds mindfulness and acceptance” and the strength to make a fresh start in a place with haunted memories."
Kirkus Reviews
Randy Fritz has written a mesmerizing account of the Bastrop fire, the worst in Texas history and one of the worst ever nationally. The heart of Hail of Fire is how an everyday citizen survives the angst and awfulness of a natural disaster. Highly recommended!”
Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
"As Fritz and his family deal with shock, instability, and the stress involved in trying to move forward, their perseverance and strength, and that of those around them, demonstrate that life definitely can rise from the ashes." Booklist
"A roller coaster ride.... brutally honest, intimate and affecting." Austin American-Statesman
"Though the title of his memoir of the 2011 Bastrop wildfire might suggest that readers will be placed right in the middle of one of the worst conflagrations in Texas history, this Lost Pines resident is more interested in what followed: the displacement of his family after the loss of their house, and the fraught debate over whether to rebuild or walk away from their longtime home." Texas Monthly
"In this painstakingly written story of ruin and renewal, Fritz eloquently reflects on how the events of the Bastrop fire of September 2011 and their aftermath transformed him, his family and the lives of their closest friends and neighbors." San Antonio Express-News
"Every time a fire destroys a family’s home, the media shows up right away to cover the disaster and report what’s happened. But not very often does the media ever tell you what happens after the fire because most victims don’t have the emotional strength to speak out while the smoke is still in the air. This story is told through the eyes of Randy Fritz who experienced the third worst wildfire in modern U.S. history. He tells the story of grief, loss and how his family rebuilt their lives after the calamitous event." San Francisco Book Review
"Fritz viscerally conveys the horror, loss, and regret. ... Fritz’s engaging narrative is interwoven with flashbacks that serve to flesh out his family’s lives and powerfully convey what has been lost. ... The facts are compelling and the science of wildfires as explained in layman’s terms by Fritz is fascinating." Lone Star Literary Life
"Fritz writes with searing honesty about the traumatic event and its aftermath, and the slow journey to recovery from sudden psychological and material devastation." Santa Fe New Mexican
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- PublisherTrinity University Press
- Publication date2015
- ISBN 10 1595342591
- ISBN 13 9781595342591
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages320
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Hail of Fire: A Man and His Family Face Natural Disaster
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Trinity University Press
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ISBN 10: 1595342591
ISBN 13: 9781595342591
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