between two fires

And “Between Two Fires,” by Joshua Yaffa, looks at how a middle tier of strivers navigates Putin’s Russia, where the government can offer benefits and threaten punishments as it requires.

"At one point, we were trapped between two fires, which was really stressful, and we decided to pack up all our stuff and leave."

Stephen J. Pyne is an emeritus professor at Arizona State University specializing in environmental history and the author of 35 books including “Between Two Fires: A Fire History of Contemporary America.”

“Wily man” is the central character in Joshua Yaffa’s “Between Two Fires.”

“We are caught between two fires,” said Umm Ahmed, 57, a husky-voiced widow who fled her home after clashes erupted in her neighborhood.