Firehouse

Rating:
Summary: A lasting memorial to those brave firefighters
Review: Expecting a well-composed book from a popular and proficient historian, it was no surprise that it was memorable! Every word, every page was profoundly interesting, whether details were sadly moving or funny, the message was clear! This is a short and meaningful read.

As a person who was geographically distant, Colorado, from the tragedy, the horror effected the nation and me emotionally. When I learned that Pulitizer Prize winner and author Halberstam had written a book about that specific firehouse that lost 12 men, I wanted to read it.

Once you begin reading, you easily learn who the firemen were, their decisions to become firemen, their odd quirks, their funny moments, their other jobs, their passions, and of course their family. What is moving is the strong sincere bond they share, unique friendships, caring people willing to give their time to help each other out.

It was the talk that Joseph Ginley, whose firefighter son John Ginley died that made a profound impression. The father told them firefighting was a good life, you lived with other men in genuine camaraderie, and you ended up, almost without realizing it, having the rarest kind of friendships, ones with men who were willing to die for one another.

I came with a strong understanding of how a firefighter truly becomes this spirit of humanity and someone willing to give up their life for you.

On the inside cover is a memorial, the original blackboard with the names and their assignments. It's eerie. And as Halberstam begins, he shares just enough facts about the firehouse in Manhattan, it's origin and renovation. We learn the dynamics of highrise firehouses versus suburban firehouses and its firemen.

Then, you are immersed into a personal portrayal of each firefighter. And it isn't just an account of each man, the details offer more than you bargained for. The information is weaved strategically and suttle. It's very clear that Halberstam conducted a serious number of interviews, because he got such remarkable information that doesn't come with one or two interviews, it comes for a volume of detail about a person. Upon reading these intimate details, as you delve deeper into what made this fireman, his values, friendships, faith, family, etc., you can't help but keep looking at the pictures, putting a face with the name.

Clearly, the writing is what really made this a special account. What a warm feeling I get from these men who are strangers to me, but I learned about a "true fireman" and am reminded by what veteran fireman Ray Pfeifer said, "People think they know what we do, but they really don't know what we do." I say..people..... educate yourself here, because those faces on the back are real people, real firemen, the firemen we really don't know or understand. And when you finish this book, you will look at firemen differently..... ...MZ RIZZ

Rating:
Summary: Highly emotional and quite gripping book
Review: Halberstam's gripping chronicle of a company of Manhattan firemen on September 11 is moving without ever becoming grossly sentimental an impressive achievement, though readers have come to expect as much from the veteran historian and journalist (author, most recently, of War in a Time of Peace). Engine 40, Ladder 35, a firehouse near Lincoln Center, sent 13 men to the World Trade Center, 12 of whom died. Through interviews with surviving colleagues and family members, Halberstam pieces together the day's events and offers portraits of the men who perished from rookie Mike D'Auria, a former chef who liked to read about Native American culture, to Captain Frank Callahan, greatly respected by the men for his dedication and exacting standards, even if he was rather distant and laconic (when someone performed badly at a fire he would call them into his office and simply give him "The Look," a long, excruciating stare: "Nothing needed to be said the offender was supposed to know exactly how he had transgressed, and he always did"). The book also reveals much about firehouse culture the staunch code of ethics, the good-natured teasing, the men's loyalty to each other in matters large and small (one widow recalls that when she and her husband were planning home renovations, his colleagues somehow found out and showed up unasked to help, finishing the job in record time). Though he doesn't go into much detail about the technical challenges facing the fire department that day, Halberstam does convey the sheer chaos at the site and, above all, the immensity of the loss for fellow firefighters.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Heroes
Review: This in a very good book about a group of men at a Manhatten firehouse who were called to duty on September 11, 2001. I got the feeling that they weren't called to duty so much as they heard duty calling them. In this brief book we are given a glimpse of each of the men who responded to the call. We are also given a briefer glimpse at those who were not on duty that day and how they dealt with their emotions. To most of us, the men who risked their lives were certainly heroes but they remained names without a story. Mr. Halberstam has given this group a personality that enables the reader to more greatly appreciate their sacrifice. For this reason alone, the book's mere 200 pages are well worth the short time it takes to read. However, this is a story about all firemen because of how the author gives us a vivid insight to life in the firehouse. We see the cameraderie and the fraternal nature of firefighters. The pay is poor and the risk is great but good men continue to respond to the call. In this book we get a sense as to why that is.

If this book has a fault it is that its' subjects are too perfect. These men have no faults; if they are grumpy, they are loveably grumpy, if they are divorced, the divorce was amicable and they remain on good terms with their ex. Should we be told of personal shortcomings for these fallen heroes? Many would say no. However, I believe that the author meant for us to see these men as people like ourselves; men who were doing the hourly-pay job that they were trained to do. In their case they made a difference by perservering in their jobs in the face of imminent peril. In our case we may never have to face such a challenge but these men have shown us that ordinary men doing extra-ordinary things DO make a difference. By portraying these men as a cut above ordinary, the point is lost. Still, there is much greatness in this book and I am content to accept the men as the author has chosen to portray them.