357 ratings | 13 reviews | avg rating:4.81

River’s Year In Books

River’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at River’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to River’s 2025 Year in Books

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River Selby

Goodreads Author

Born

in Los Angeles, The United States

Website

https://www.riverselby.com

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, Science

Influences

jamesbaldwin, davidwojnarowicz, robinwallkimmerer, tonimorrison, lidia ...more

Member Since

July 2023

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River Selby worked as a wildland firefighter for seven years, stationed out of California, Oregon, Colorado, and Alaska. They are the author of HOTSHOT: A LIFE ON FIRE.

They are currently a Kingsbury and Legacy Fellow at Florida State University, where they are pursuing their PhD in Nonfiction with an emphasis in postcolonial histories, North American colonization, and postmodern literature and culture. River has spent nearly a decade researching the history of fire suppression in the United States, Indigenous fire and land-tending practices, climate change impacts, and ecological adaptations across North American landscapes. Their research is informed by their extensive field experience.

River is a first generation high-school and college gr ...more

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River Selby’s books

Average rating: 3.69 · 454 ratings · 121 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

Hotshot: A Life on Fire

3.69 avg rating — 454 ratings — published 2025 — 4 editions

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River is Currently Reading

River Selby is currently reading

The Virgin Suicides

by Jeffrey Eugenides

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 25, 2025 06:30PM

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River’s Recent Updates

River Selby is now friends with Liz Evergreen
Jan 02, 2026 07:04PM · like
River Selby and 2 other people liked Chad Manske's review of Hotshot: A Life on Fire: "River Shelby’s memoir “Hotshot: A Life on Fire” is a searing, meticulously crafted account of life on the front lines of wildland firefighting that doubles as a searching inquiry into identity, justice, and the American landscape. It is both an adren" Read more of this review »
Dec 09, 2025 07:02PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hotshot by River Selby. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hotshot by River Selby <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It's worth reading just for the scope of time encompassed in such a short text, and the unique POV, but very enjoyable even if you don't care about those things. ...more
Dec 09, 2025 01:51PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color by Caro De Robertis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 06, 2025 06:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of So Many Stars by Caro De Robertis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — So Many Stars by Caro De Robertis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby wants to read Before Gender: Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950 by Eli Erlick (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 06, 2025 06:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Before Gender by Eli Erlick. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Before Gender by Eli Erlick <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World by Jordan Thomas	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. As a former firefighter who is also a doctoral candidate and ALSO wrote a book about my time fighting fires and the history of fire suppression in the U.S., I have an insiders perspective on the job and history as well, an ...more
Dec 02, 2025 07:26PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of When It All Burns by Jordan Thomas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — When It All Burns by Jordan Thomas <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 07:23PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of There's Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — There's Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 07:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Radium Girls by Kate Moore <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 07:21PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
River Selby rated a book it was amazing Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 07:20PM · like