Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman

Rating:
Summary: A great new writer!
Review: This guy can write! He swept me up and took me inside the mind of a rookie firefighter. He showed me the thrill and the terror, the bathos and the joy involved in doing this much-hyped job. Unger's Slate Diaries were good, and this is even better. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: very descriptive and quite accurate
Review: Zac has done an excellent job of introducing everyone to the triumphs and tribulations of becoming a firefighter. Zac has an incredible way of showing the talent, humor, camaraderie, pride and skill of the job, the department and the city. What a joy to read and share his experiences and stories. Excellent book!

Rating:
Summary: Great and insightful and interesting writing
Review: Zac Unger is educated, eloquent, and, most importantly, observant. I'd never have thought that the subject of firefighting would be something that I'd take the time to read about, but I was wrong and I'm very glad this book somehow found its way into my hands. It isn't just the firefighting part, even though that's something that maybe all of us are curious about - and here's someone who can and will tell you all about that subject. But this book is particularly special because the person who wrote it understands different people and different situations and takes the time to write incredibly well about his experiences. Thank you, Zac, for the excellent read, and I hope you didn't take too much "heat" around the firehouse for writing it down. Stay safe.

Rating:
Summary: Great and insightful and interesting writing
Review: Zac Unger is educated, eloquent, and, most importantly, observant. I'd never have thought that the subject of firefighting would be something that I'd take the time to read about, but I was wrong and I'm very glad this book somehow found its way into my hands. It isn't just the firefighting part, even though that's something that maybe all of us are curious about - and here's someone who can and will tell you all about that subject. But this book is particularly special because the person who wrote it understands different people and different situations and takes the time to write incredibly well about his experiences. Thank you, Zac, for the excellent read, and I hope you didn't take too much "heat" around the firehouse for writing it down. Stay safe.

Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS SIMPLY GREAT
Review: Zac Unger who of course is the author and primary subject of this book seems unlikely candidate for being a firefighter he is a ivy league graduate who has grown up in berkeley with parents who seem to be former hippies and going to as the book called progressive day schools were everybody was made to feel cuddly and special.The author had many different jobs working at at mine riverguide even watching peregrine falcons mating and even driving muffin delivery truck quite a contrast compared to his 24 other academy mates of class 398 who some were sons or brothers of firefighters or they themselves were fire fighters in other cities but in Oakland were they are training now.
The book follows along as they try to make through the 4 months at the academy and try to graduate.Upon graduation it follows the author around to the different fire stations as he learns his way finding that each fire station has its on little quirks.There are alot of humoreous part dealing with the banter and childish pranks that are desribed amongst the firefighters.
Not only does the author become a fire fighter but he also becomes a paramedic which is comical as he desribes how squimish he is around medical people espescially when a doctor tried to use a tongue depressor on him and he almost passed out.
This goes through alot of incidents they faced and was quite informative and overall an excellant book to read it is one of those books you can sit down and read in one sitting so give it a try you will not be disappointed