Working Fire: The Making of a Fireman

List Price: $14.00 Discount Price: $11.41

Customer Reviews:

Engaging fireman [Posted on 2005-04-25]
Unger joined the Oakland Fire Department in the 1990's. An Ivy League grad, son of Berkeley intellectuals, he had a calling for dangerous, physical, activities that baffled his parents. From feeling, and looking, like a fish out of water, he learned to be a part of the close-knit tribe of firefighters. Mixing just the right amount of self-analysis with a healthy dose of anecdotes and observations about the social, physical, and physical challenges of big-city firefighting, Unger manages to infuse the narrative with a sense of duty, honor, and respect without sounding sappy. He notes that firefighters spend most of their time answering medical emergency calls, often among the city's least respectable populations. He describes the visceral joy of destruction, chopping one's way through walls and roofs to quench a raging structure fire, of demolishing an expensive car to save the accident victim trapped within. Engaging.

I'm an accidental fireman too! [Posted on 2006-03-16]
I absolutely loved this book. It is as close to understanding what it's like to be a fireman as you can ever get...without actually becoming one. I passed it along to my family & friends just so I could say "Here...THIS is what my job is like".

Unlike many other books...Working Fire tells the story of firefighting from the point of view of somebody who didn't grow up with fire in their blood & soot in their lungs. Unger fell into firefighting...whereas so many others view it as a birthright, passed down from father to son.

The best thing abotu this book is that it's so well-written that you don't have to be a firefighter, firefighter's family member...or even a fire buff to enjoy it. It's a great story about a unique character.

So entertaining, informative and enjoyable, it turned a non-reader into a reader! [Posted on 2008-03-03]
My 20-something son received this as a Christmas gift because he expressed an interest in fire-fighting. He took the book to his job so he could do something other than stare out the window during slow periods. To his complete surprise, he was immediately hooked and gobbled this book in less than two days. He then called me and others to insist they read this book. He LOVED this book and appreciates Zac Unger SO MUCH for inspiring him to take his next step...he is currently attending fire classes.

Fascinating [Posted on 2008-05-19]
Well-written, fascinating insight into the rookie year of an Oakland fire-fighter. Fun for anyone who has ever thought of being a firefighter or who wonders what they do.

fantastic read [Posted on 2008-08-05]
As a fireman and a writer, I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The story was very interesting and well written. I would recommend it to anyone considering a career in the fire service or to anyone who is interested in what exactly happens in firehouses across America.

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