Stand in the Fire is masterfully written, gripping from beginning to end, and deeply moving. Since the book deals with family history, it could easily have become sentimental and self-indulgent. It never does, however, thanks to the verve and elegance of Woods’s prose and his ability to present his grandfather, uncle, and father as real and engaging characters. In this regard, his decision to use fictional scenes in the service of nonfiction—a la Norman Mailer and Truman Capote, among others—proves an inspired choice and one that enlivens the manuscript in countless ways.”—Steven Trout, author of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Angel Fire: War, Remembrance, and an American Tragedy
“William Woods’s Stand in the Fire serves best as a magnificently written time capsule of a different America. In this historically based work of creative nonfiction, Woods tells the stories of his forefathers: men who served in times of war, their transformation in donning the uniform, and their incomplete return to civility—if they were fortunate enough to return at all. The reader will rightly marvel at this family’s experiences. Ultimately, Woods subtly demands the reader consider whether the society that created millions of such families, and such men, still exists; or if it should at all.”—Paul Darling, author of Taliban Safari: One Day in the Surkhagan Valley
“A most personable kind of history guided by the spirit of deep curiosity. Woods’s voice is measured and engaging, full of sentiment without being sentimental, and aptly critical without being dismissive. We are doubly lucky that his family saved so much in attic trunks and that it fell into Woods’s hands. His enviable talent brings these stories, and this slice of American history, to life.”—Alex Vernon, author of most succinctly bred and Hemingway’s Second War: Bearing Witness to the Spanish Civil War
