"Into the Fire is a fascinating read and a major contribution to research. This excellent book provides strong arguments about differentiations in masculinity and the hierarchies assigned to different masculinities. It is also timely in picking up on discussions of doing, undoing, and redoing gender." -- Amy Kaler, Department of Sociology and School of Public Health, University of Alberta "Into the Fire is a very serious advance in contemporary research and theory that will be welcomed in gender studies and disaster studies. Shelley Pacholok establishes an excellent tone that draws the reader in close from the outset, and she maintains it even in tricky theoretical waters as the complex narrative unfolds." -- Elaine Enarson, Founder, U.S. Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance

In August 2003, one of the largest wildfires in Canadian history struck near Kelowna, British Columbia and the surrounding Okanagan Valley, causing  unprecedented  damage. As Shelley Pacholok observes in this innovative study, the turbulence and extreme conditions that followed in the wake of this disaster destabilized an important  area of social life – that of gender relations.

Into the Fire combines insights from gender studies and disaster studies to explore the extent to which notions of “masculinity” and “femininity” are challenged in the wake of crises. Pacholok focuses on how gender relations were simultaneously sustained and disrupted   among those who fought the fire,  drawing on media representations as well as interviews with firefighters . Into the Fire illuminates how disasters can serve as catalysts for new patterns of gender, even in highly masculine spaces.

"‘Pacholok’s analysis of how a high stakes natural disaster can spark uneven change in gender relations at work is novel, insightful, and thorough…. This book will be a valuable and engaging resource for scholars of gender, work, and the environment alike.’" - American Journal of Sociology, vol 119:06:2014