Firefighters have long been among the most admired men and women in our culture, and recent events have shown how well-placed that admiration is--adding fuel to our innate fascination with stories about fire and the people who risk their lives to fight it. Some of our best writers are drawn to the subject of firefighting, and over the years they have created a rich body of literature. Fire Fighters offers the most exciting and compelling stories from that body of work, including accounts of devastating fires from New York to Yellowstone, as well as smaller blazes that have turned particularly ugly or dangerous. Selections include Jimmy Breslin's eulogy for the men who died in the famous Chelsea fire, Norman McLean on the Great Gulch forest fire that killed nine young smokejumpers, John McPhee on fires in the Pine Barrens, Studs Terkel's interview with a fire fighter, and riveting accounts of the FDNY's role in the September 11 tragedy and its aftermath. 16 black-and-white photos are also featured.
You'll have trouble putting this one down. 21 strong selections look at firefighting from a variety of angles. I read a lot of 'fire books' but the editor found plenty I had not seen. 8 of the 21 stories are stand-alone articles, not excerpts - 2 about 9-11 that will just tear you up. The focus is split about 50/50 between city firefighting and forest firefighting, with a couple essays from folks who don't actually fight fires themselves, but must live with those who do. You'll read about a lot of brave men who never came home from their fires and you can't help but pause at the end of most of the selections. This book is especially relevant in the summer of 2002 with wildfires devouring Arizona and Colorado - what a way to better understand the human aspect of what you see on the news, and even learn something. Willis has chosen powerful, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking stuff from sources you haven't seen and you or your firefighter will stay up to read this one cover to cover.
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