BREATHING FIRE

A detailed and infuriating depiction of America’s inhumane practice of deploying inmate firefighters.

In this expansion of her work for the New York Times Magazine, journalist Lowe delves into the stories of the incarcerated women fighting California’s frequent, deadly wildfires. At great personal risk, these women remain prisoners as they battle flames and endure grueling physical challenges. The author traces the histories of women in different “camps” across the state, illustrating the overrepresentation of women engaged in this extremely dangerous work. Even as they risk their lives fighting fires, they receive a negligible amount of training compared to “free” firefighters. The numbers of incarcerated firefighters are shocking: “Depending on the year, inmate firefighters make up as much as 30 percent of California’s wildland fire crews.” Lowe chronicles her discussions with a wide range of women. Some believe in the program’s ability to prepare inmates for new ways of life, providing access to nature and employable skills. Many others point out the exploitation of their labor, sexual abuse, drug use, and constant danger. The stories share horrifying, dehumanizing parallels with slave labor—especially analogous given the disproportionate number of American prisoners who are Black. However, Lowe does not examine race until halfway through the book, which weakens the critical and rhetorical power of the story as a whole. The eventual list of myriad ways the prison system differentially targets Black Americans would be more effective if this analysis framed the critique rather than being compartmentalized midway through. Nevertheless, Lowe writes compellingly, including appropriately heartbreaking details of these women’s lives, what is taken from them, and how they risk their lives for $2.56 per day. This is a story of 21st-century chain gangs in the star-studded hills of Malibu battling the consequences of climate change and of a country lost in the mire of seemingly endless mass incarceration.

A disturbing portrayal of America’s exploitative prison system and the incarcerated women fighting California’s wildfires.