Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman

Rating:
Summary: Transcends Typical "Fish Out of Water" Memoir
Review: (Note: this may be a duplicate review.) As a librarian, I am guilty of reading many books and commenting on few. "Working Fire" was just too good not to say so to others.

"Working Fire" is an entertaining, honest, and frequently humorous story of Unger's transformation from crunchy Californian and Ivy Leaguer to firefighter. Like Ted Conover's excellent "Newjack," Unger uses the fish-out-of-water theme to take us deep inside a profession most of us only barely understand. Unlike "Newjack," in "Working Fire" we know that Unger wants to become part of this profession, not just observe it for a while, and this adds elements of tension and authenticity that place this book above reportage and make it a classic coming-of-age story. Unger isn't quite as much out of his element as he would like to make us think--we see that when he makes it through firefighting school while others do not--but the constant tension between his past and present life will keep you turning pages, and the well-drawn characters and situations that serve as foils for his development are entertaining as well.

Unger also wisely limited the number of fire scenes. Those he uses are swashbuckling good reading, but are drawn swiftly enough so that readers with only a nominal interest in firefighting will not lose interest in the larger story. (That said, I turned pages without stopping during these scenes, in part because most of the fire scenes are really about Unger, people, and the larger theme of transformation.)

It is also refreshing to read a memoir where the subject is not in recovery, the parents are not evil, and many of the characters are well-meaning and likeable.

"Working Fire" is due out in paper in 2005. With its readability, essential humanity, and "something for everyone" appeal, "Working Fire" would make a great pick for a book club, but it is also a great choice for anyone looking for a good story well told.

Rating:
Summary: "Working Fire" by Zac Unger
Review: An outstanding autobiographical novel by a real, contemporary Oakland, California Firefighter/Paramedic. Unger is a gifted writer telling his personal story of the travails of becoming a fireman with humor and unusual insight into the human side of those who fight urban fires and respond to an amazing variety of grisly emergencies. Unger is an unusual character to be found in his chosen profession. He is highly educated, and hails from a well to do Jewish family in Berkeley. His is the antithesis of the resume' expected from a big city fireman. The reader takes from this reading experience an extensive knowledge of the tasks, challenges and terminology of the firefighters' world. Zac proovides an insiders' look at the psychological makeup of a broad range of people working in the field. Outstanding, and a quick, fun read. Hopefully, we will see more from Zac Unger.

AK Lorenz
Alameda, CA

Rating:
Summary: Witty and insightful
Review: Hard to put down! Zac Unger paints colorful images of life as a firefighter. He describes the gritty realities of daily life in the inner city with both sensitivity and wit. His accounts of firefighting are so engaging that you can almost smell the smoke in the air. Most importantly, he gives insight into why someone chooses to run into the buildings that the rest of us are fleeing. He reveals both the heroic and the human side of life as a firefighter. Informative and entertaining. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Enthralling tale of a fledgling fireman
Review: I felt the book was very well written. Not only does Mr. Unger, entail the trials and tribulations of being a fireman but he also vividly describes the many personalities he encounters. As you read through the book you not only feel the exhiliration and fear that he feels, but you see the people he deals with on a day by day basis.

Rating:
Summary: You Don't Need A Big [.] to Write a Great Book
Review: I just whomped through Working Fire after seeing Mr. Unger rock a reading in Pasadena. Zac claims he has no [...], but this is one butt-rocking book! I've been a fan of Zac's fireman writing ever since he wrote his large-hearted, light-touch diaries for Slate.com, and I was pleased to see that his writing triumphs in long form even more than on the computer screen. With ease, humor and reflection he limns firefighters' heroics and clowning alike, creating a very human testimonial to his colleagues and his own journey. Buy it. Read it. And don't leave it next to an exposed heating element.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Goin'
Review: I've yet to read a book that decribes the Firehouse life with so much accuracy! It would take 10 more books to relate all the thousands of stories, thoughts and emotions that I am sure he has experienced, but Zak Unger has done a masterful job with this one book at telling what it feels like to be a Firefighter. I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether or not you have in interest in what Firefighters really do. It tells of how a man experiences aspects of life that very few people are able to. How it shapes who he is and how his views change. It gives you a viewpoint from someone who speaks with an honest, modest and unassuming style.

Rating:
Summary: It's a good book. Read it.
Review: It's a fun read. Plenty of action but it's not just action. It's about the observation of people. Zac Unger has a fascination with fire as, it seems, all fire fighters do, but he became a fire fighter for bigger, more noble reasons. He humbly tells the story of the men and women he meets in the fire department and his own transformation into one of them.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, bad firefighting
Review: Real good book. Zac is a great writer. As everyone notes he is a wonderful student of human nature. He tells a story well. His is a great tale of badly done fire fighting and self aggrandizment.
Zac's story is not written for emergency responders, it is written for vicarious thrill-seekers. He embarrasses the Oakland Fire Department (or they should be embarrassed). Zac describes a flagrantly hypocritical relationship between training and fire ground practice. Every scenario Zac describes, fire to medical, is a study of not just poor practice, but shockingly atrocious practice. My chief would be outraged!
I usually wonder if an author has sanitized his scenarios, so they will "look good" to another responder. With Working Fire, I wondered why Zac didn't. The answer is, Zac condones this stuff and thrives on it. He thinks it is what makes a fire fighter great; it separates the true, "big city" firefighter from the "small potatoes" firefighter. He is wrong. In fact, it separates the arrogant and backward from the professional.
I wish to correct impressions Zac gives. Among firefighters, the "H" word is embarrassing. Modern firefighters do not take pride in breathing in toxic fumes as proof of the sacrifices they make to the job. Everything about a car fire is toxic(consider what's burning). Paramedics put high priority on "holding C-spine" so accident victims are not inadvertently paralyzed by handling during extrication and transport. Zac describes lack of such care. Fire fighters do not enter burning buildings alone (freelancing). Fire fighters practice accountability; they don't get lost or separated from their team.
I am offended by the rank insubordination Zac describes and justifies. If Oakland Fire Department officers are so incompetent, something should be done about it; however, insubordination is not the solution. I fail to understand what Zac and his friend gained with (1) the act of insubordination and (2) their "freelance" fire fighting methods. (I would have been fired!) Neanderthal attitudes and arguments Zac expresses about safety gear, that most of us use to protect us from heat, are unsubstantiated. It is offensive that he writes about it after describing the death of an officer and the maiming of two others, where it is clear that lack of such gear contributed to the tragedy. Injury and death of firefighters are not glories, even if it puts them on the "Honor Role." On-the-job accidents are tragic errors, no matter what the job is.
I hope Zac continues writing. I hope he quits fire fighting. I hope Oakland gets its act together.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, bad firefighting
Review: Real good book. Zac is a great writer. As everyone notes he is a wonderful student of human nature. He tells a story well. His is a great tale of badly done fire fighting and self aggrandizment.
Zac's story is not written for emergency responders, it is written for vicarious thrill-seekers. He embarrasses the Oakland Fire Department (or they should be embarrassed). Zac describes a flagrantly hypocritical relationship between training and fire ground practice. Every scenario Zac describes, fire to medical, is a study of not just poor practice, but shockingly atrocious practice. My chief would be outraged!
I usually wonder if an author has sanitized his scenarios, so they will "look good" to another responder. With Working Fire, I wondered why Zac didn't. The answer is, Zac condones this stuff and thrives on it. He thinks it is what makes a fire fighter great; it separates the true, "big city" firefighter from the "small potatoes" firefighter. He is wrong. In fact, it separates the arrogant and backward from the professional.
I wish to correct impressions Zac gives. Among firefighters, the "H" word is embarrassing. Modern firefighters do not take pride in breathing in toxic fumes as proof of the sacrifices they make to the job. Everything about a car fire is toxic(consider what's burning). Paramedics put high priority on "holding C-spine" so accident victims are not inadvertently paralyzed by handling during extrication and transport. Zac describes lack of such care. Fire fighters do not enter burning buildings alone (freelancing). Fire fighters practice accountability; they don't get lost or separated from their team.
I am offended by the rank insubordination Zac describes and justifies. If Oakland Fire Department officers are so incompetent, something should be done about it; however, insubordination is not the solution. I fail to understand what Zac and his friend gained with (1) the act of insubordination and (2) their "freelance" fire fighting methods. (I would have been fired!) Neanderthal attitudes and arguments Zac expresses about safety gear, that most of us use to protect us from heat, are unsubstantiated. It is offensive that he writes about it after describing the death of an officer and the maiming of two others, where it is clear that lack of such gear contributed to the tragedy. Injury and death of firefighters are not glories, even if it puts them on the "Honor Role." On-the-job accidents are tragic errors, no matter what the job is.
I hope Zac continues writing. I hope he quits fire fighting. I hope Oakland gets its act together.

Rating:
Summary: Didactic tale of a self-proclaimed heroic life
Review: This book tells of life as a firefighter--which should be exciting--but I found myself bored by much of the story. I think I felt put off by the narrator's somewhat naive and righteous attitude, which also made it difficult for me to empathize with him. While the story is well-written, the narrator/author is painfully self-aware and is in love with the idea of being a hero.
Despite my personal opinion, I think this memoir might find its audience in those who are very interested in reading about life as a firefighter.