![]() ![]() The book was published less than a year after the attacks, so it's understandable that Halberstam did not have the luxury of distance to more objectively draw his portraits. There are hints, mere wisps of suggestions, that some of the men may have been less than perfect (in the ways that all of us are less than perfect), but the tone quickly reverts to unstinted admiration. Although Halberstam tries to portray the firefighters realistically there is still an element of sanctification about their individual lives and stories. ![]() Most of the book examines both the individual lives of the firefighters who died and the culture of brotherhood that is the modern firehouse.Īs good as the book is, though, one thing did trouble me. The one member of the firehouse who survived did so with severe injuries, including a concussion, and his memories of the day are incomplete. There is little detail about the scene at Ground Zero because little is known about what, exactly, the men of Engine 40/Ladder 35 experienced there. I would strongly recommend Firehouse to anyone who is interested in a glimpse at the impact of that day on the NYFD. It's almost unbearably sad, especially when I stopped to think that for all the impact of the stories of these 13 men, they are but a tiny fraction of the lives that were lost that day. Show More firefighters with their comrades. ![]()
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