The Stakes

“My obsession with the subject of death by fire, and specifically female death by fire, began with my own abuse by a firefighter, I quickly learned how privileged I was in comparison to the women I read about. Though I had nightmares of being burned regularly, I never was. The women I read about — like Joan of Arc, the women accused of witchcraft or lesser crimes that resulted in a stake, they suffered my nightmares as reality. Reading their stories made me humbled and angry for my gender, clearly disproportionately punished with fire and threats of fire.”

—Kristin Garth, author