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6th out of 80 books
—
84 voters
Firehouse
“If you have tears, prepare to shed them.”
--Frank McCourt
"In the firehouse, the men not only live and eat with each other, they play sports together, go off to drink together, help repair one another's houses, and, most important, share terrifying risks; their loyalties to each other must, by the demands of the dangers they face, be instinctive and absolute."
So writes Dav...more
--Frank McCourt
"In the firehouse, the men not only live and eat with each other, they play sports together, go off to drink together, help repair one another's houses, and, most important, share terrifying risks; their loyalties to each other must, by the demands of the dangers they face, be instinctive and absolute."
So writes Dav...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
May 21st 2003
by Hyperion
(first published January 1st 2002)
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Firehouse by David Halberstam was a fantastically written book. However, it is not a book for the faint at heart. Halberstam takes 9/11 very seriously and pours the emotions of others into one book. I would say that this book is one for not only those affected by the event, but those who fought to make it more bearable for everyone. These aren’t the simple and empathetic tales of those who lost loved ones in a horrible accident. Although those stories can be extremely powerful, Halberstam takes...more
Friends of the HHI Library find, published in 2002. I picked this up because it was written by David Halberstam, a first rate author and historian. He chronicles the lives of the men of the firehouse that housed Engine 40 and Truck 35 who lost their lives on September 11th. It is a beautifully written story of ordinary people who chose service to others putting themselves and their families second. With the benefit of time, reading the book was especially sad for me because of what America has b...more
Firehouse is a biographical account of the firefighters from Firehouse 40/35 in Midtown Manhatten. Thirteen of them went out on a run one fateful morning. Only one returned.
If I were rating this on those 9/11 first responders remembered by this book, there would not be enough stars. They were courageous and selfless.
I am not rating them. I'm rating the writing.
Halberstam started out as a journalist. Maybe it is the difference between the writing of a journalist and a solely nonfiction history w...more
If I were rating this on those 9/11 first responders remembered by this book, there would not be enough stars. They were courageous and selfless.
I am not rating them. I'm rating the writing.
Halberstam started out as a journalist. Maybe it is the difference between the writing of a journalist and a solely nonfiction history w...more
This review was also a post on my blog.
http://ed2dq.com/2013/01/10/firehouse...
September 11, 2001 is now over 11 years ago, but still feels fresh.
Especially to anyone who grew up in greater New York City.
I grew up in Montgomery Township, New Jersey just north of Princeton, and from the top of Grandview Hill on a clear day, I could see the World Trade Center 50 miles away (could see the Turnpike Towers of East Brunswick much better about 20 miles away).
The World Trade Center was always the build...more
http://ed2dq.com/2013/01/10/firehouse...
September 11, 2001 is now over 11 years ago, but still feels fresh.
Especially to anyone who grew up in greater New York City.
I grew up in Montgomery Township, New Jersey just north of Princeton, and from the top of Grandview Hill on a clear day, I could see the World Trade Center 50 miles away (could see the Turnpike Towers of East Brunswick much better about 20 miles away).
The World Trade Center was always the build...more
I love Halberstam's books and usually make an effort to read them as soon as they come out. His tragic death last year hit hard. This book I postponed reading until recently. I suppose the events of 9/11 needed to be viewed through the distance of time. Even with that lens, it was often difficult to forge on.
The Engine 40, Ladder 35 firehouse was close to where Halberstam lived in New York. Twelve of thirteen who left for the Twin Towers on that day were killed. Halberstam recounts what happened...more
The Engine 40, Ladder 35 firehouse was close to where Halberstam lived in New York. Twelve of thirteen who left for the Twin Towers on that day were killed. Halberstam recounts what happened...more
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Ciara Travers
May 2, 2012
Firehouse
First Response Character
In my book Firehouse, it illustrates the hardships that engine 40 and ladder 35 go through. In this story it really illustrates how they live and they all grow together as a family. I would love to be a part of this fire house, because all the men are very caring and do everything as a team. For instance the firehouse in midtown Manhattan, feel passionate about being the best. It is an unusually strong house, filled with veterans who do n...more
May 2, 2012
Firehouse
First Response Character
In my book Firehouse, it illustrates the hardships that engine 40 and ladder 35 go through. In this story it really illustrates how they live and they all grow together as a family. I would love to be a part of this fire house, because all the men are very caring and do everything as a team. For instance the firehouse in midtown Manhattan, feel passionate about being the best. It is an unusually strong house, filled with veterans who do n...more
I thought a nonfiction work by a famous author about a firehouse would be cool. Didn't realize until I started reading it that it's about September 11th. Still wanted to read it, but knew it would be hard, so even though it's very short, it took me a little while.
It's about Firehouse 40/35 (Engine 40, Ladder 35) in midtown Manhattan. On Sept. 11, 2001, the engine and the ladder both went down to the World Trade Center at 9:30 AM, with 13 men aboard the two trucks. One man survived. Mr. Halberst...more
It's about Firehouse 40/35 (Engine 40, Ladder 35) in midtown Manhattan. On Sept. 11, 2001, the engine and the ladder both went down to the World Trade Center at 9:30 AM, with 13 men aboard the two trucks. One man survived. Mr. Halberst...more
Apr 01, 2010
Sher
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone wanting a closer look at the heroes of 9/11
This is a heart-wrenching story of Firehouse 40/35 in New York City. Thirteen firemen responded to the call on 9/11, but only one returned. The book tells about their lives, their families, and their love of being firemen. It tells of the events in each man's life leading up to the tragedy. It tells of those who missed being one of the ones to go on the call by some random happenstance, and of those who answered the call in the same way.
It is hard to imagine how any person, no matter how evil,...more
It is hard to imagine how any person, no matter how evil,...more
Halberstam delves into the lives of those firefighters at Engine 40 Ladder 35 in Manhattan where 12 of those firefighters lost their lives in the tragedy of 9/11. I loved this book for the way Halberstam is able to tell you about the men, their lives, their idiosyncrasies, and their abilities in such a way as to make you feel like you were there observing, like you knew them. I appreciated this book more than any other because it let me see into the lives of men who died for strangers, it helped...more
"Firehouse" provides a concise biography of each man from New York Fire Department's Engine 40 Ladder 35 company that died responding to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Entwined with each the description of each man's personality is a description of their roles in the firehouse.
Halberstam masterly brings the men to life. I felt like I knew all the men from the firehouse. All of the men chose to be firemen. Some men took large pay cuts to become firemen. The fire fighters were...more
Halberstam masterly brings the men to life. I felt like I knew all the men from the firehouse. All of the men chose to be firemen. Some men took large pay cuts to become firemen. The fire fighters were...more
When I bought this book, based on the title alone, on 11 September 2009, I didn't know it would be about the amazing men from Engine 40, Ladder 35, who died on 11 September 2001. I have to say that this book as been the most moving book I've ever read. It was absolutely AMAZING! I can honestly say this book has given me an amazing perspective about what happened that day. It also gave me the chance to learn about the 13 men that set out from the firehouse that day, with only one to return. I wou...more
A moving tribute to the men of New York firehouse, Engine 40, Ladder 35 after their loss during the tower collapses on September 11. Here are individual stories, from wives, parents and friends. It's not just a book about the events of September 11, but it is the story of their lives, why they wanted to be firefighters, how they meet their wives, the friendships with the firehouse.
This book is an emotional read, as you realize not just the world's loss with the death of so many, but individual f...more
This book is an emotional read, as you realize not just the world's loss with the death of so many, but individual f...more
The story of the firemen from Firehouse 40/Engine 35 who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in NYC is handled with great respect and warmth. The strength of the book is the bios of the men, and the descriptions of their relationships and camaraderie. The audio version was good, but I thought the reader rushed a bit through the telling of the aftereffects, especially the memorial services, running them together as if he wanted to hurry and get through that part. The book is a...more
This was a very good book.
Inadvertently, I checked this book out at the begining of September not realizing that I would be reading it on the 11th. The timing could not have been better.
For me it served as a reminder of the sacrifice the firemen of New York made on that tragic day. The book helped me understand the loss on a more personal level. Halberstam includes a background on each of the men. How they came to the firehouse and how they related to one another. After only a few of these stor...more
Inadvertently, I checked this book out at the begining of September not realizing that I would be reading it on the 11th. The timing could not have been better.
For me it served as a reminder of the sacrifice the firemen of New York made on that tragic day. The book helped me understand the loss on a more personal level. Halberstam includes a background on each of the men. How they came to the firehouse and how they related to one another. After only a few of these stor...more
Firehouse was a good insight into the workings of 40/35, a company comprised of Engine 40 and Ladder 35 belonging to FDNY. They weren't the closest company to the World Trade Center on 9/11/01, but they were on scene before the towers fell. Twelve of the thirteen men from 40/35 who responded were killed when the towers collapsed. The lone survivor barely made it out alive.
This wasn't as emotional of an account as other stories of fire department loss I've read. It may have something to do with...more
This wasn't as emotional of an account as other stories of fire department loss I've read. It may have something to do with...more
a touching, delicate, beautiful novel - it really couldn't have been told any better. paragraph after paragraph, more of each fireman's story was unraveled and it was honestly so vulnerable and true that by the end of the book, I felt like one of their family members. as each loved one awaited the excavation of their bodies, tuned into the last voice message that they left on this world, and tried to grasp what they must have been thinking those last few moments, I waited too, longing and hopefu...more
Darren Ashley
February 8, 2012 near Owings Mills On Monday I started a new book called Firehouse by David Halberstam, and I just finished reading it. The book is just under 200 pages and has a very small amount of conversation in it. It is written from the viewpoint of Michael, one of the fireman in a firehouse in NYC, who came to the rescue of the victims of Ground Zero, on 9/11/01. He discusses the lives of the members of his firehouse and their families before and after 9/11.
February 8, 2012 near Owings Mills On Monday I started a new book called Firehouse by David Halberstam, and I just finished reading it. The book is just under 200 pages and has a very small amount of conversation in it. It is written from the viewpoint of Michael, one of the fireman in a firehouse in NYC, who came to the rescue of the victims of Ground Zero, on 9/11/01. He discusses the lives of the members of his firehouse and their families before and after 9/11.
listened to this on CD this past weekend, which also happened to be the 10th anniversary of 9/11 (we didn't choose it for this reason). it was an appropriate time to read it. it examines the lives of the firefighters in a particular house, the ones who died on 9/11, the ones who survived, and their families. the writer portrays a thorough picture of what life is like for firefighters and their families on a daily basis, and how the events of sept. 11 have haunted the survivors.
While perhaps a short read, I wouldn't call Firehouse a quick one. I imagine you could read the book in an afternoon, but you probably wouldn't want to. Halberstam's account is definitely not overly sentimental, but given the nature of the central story -- the fate of a firehouse near Lincoln Center on September 11th -- it's difficult to read in one sitting.
That said, what I appreciated most about this book was the fact that it was sparse in its descriptions of the day. Instead, it focuses on th...more
That said, what I appreciated most about this book was the fact that it was sparse in its descriptions of the day. Instead, it focuses on th...more
This was a tremendously moving read - it really gets under the skin of the human tragedy of 9/11. The firemen come across as what they were and are - genuine heroes - but fathers and brothers and sons too. It is a reminder of the selflessness that we ask every day from those in public service. It is a fitting tribute to firemen and that is enough to make it a remarkable book.
What can you say about a book which remembers some of the firemen lost in 9/11? It was a suggestion for my book group so I read it but wasn't chosen in the end. I thought it a fitting tribute to the men and a nice memory for the friends and family left behind. It also dealt well with the sequence of events on September 11th which we are all so very familiar with.
Apr 22, 2011
Erik Graff
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Halberstam fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
history
After 9/11 I started picking up the books that began to appear at local used bookstores. This was one of them. As ever, Halberstam writes well, but the book was a disappointment so far as its treatment of the events of that day as a whole is concerned. His concern is with the fire company near his home in Manhattan and what the day meant for them.
This slender book is a take off on an article by Halberstam that first appeared in Vanity Fair about Engine 40 and ladder 35 from a firhouse on the upper west side that arrived at the World trade Center right before the collapse of the second building. 12 of the 13 fireman perished. this is their story. One can't read this book without shedding a tear.
Good book, author did a great job making the reader really get to identify with the men who make up the chapters of his book. You don't need to be a firefighter to read the book, as it deals with their families, personalities, and lives in general. One of those books where you know the outcome before you pick up the book, but that's ok.
Detailed portrait of the firemen in one of the many firehouses that responded to the 9/11 disaster. Of 12 men who went, only one returned -- and he was badly injured. As usual, Halberstam appears to be totally factual but leaves an indelible picture of selflessness. I do now have a far better concept of what being a fireman means to generation after generation that find no other profession satisfies their need to have pride in service.
Warm & respectfully-written, Halberstam took me into the life of the firehouse and all the people tied to it--the firemen and their families. I teared up as I read stories about each fireman. Thirteen men left on that devastating Sept. 11th call; only one man returned.
In short, read the book & keep your handkerchief handy.
In short, read the book & keep your handkerchief handy.
Nothing spectacular here, but I appreciated this quick read—a collection of portraits from an NYC fire station which lost a dozen men in the 9/11 attacks. I borrowed it from my brother, whose career as a firefighter makes me especially drawn to learn about the lives of heroic men who pursue this calling.
I went in expecting more of the story of what happened on 9/11, and maybe that was unfair. It appears they really didn't have much information to go on -- the men left, and then did not return. The book turned into a lengthy eulogy of the ones who were lost -- and I certainly don't knock that -- with interesting tidbits and anecdotes thrown in about life in the firehouse, the family nature of it and the strong bonds formed among the extended "family" members. I was just waiting to get to the sto...more
Although I knew how the story would eventually end, I enjoyed how the author paid tribute to some of the many people who lost their lives. It is a positive way to carry on their memories and I am glad the families contributed to this touching story about a NY firehouse.
This is about the fire station which lost 12 of 13 firemen who responded to the 9-11 tragedy of the twin towers. Well written and interesting, with photos of the 12 deceased on the back cover so it really has an impact on the reader. True story.
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David Halberstam (April 10, 1934–April 23, 2007) was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author known for his early work on the Vietnam War and his later sports journalism.
Halberstam graduated from Harvard University with a degree in journalism in 1955 and started his career writing for the Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writing for...more
More about David Halberstam...
Halberstam graduated from Harvard University with a degree in journalism in 1955 and started his career writing for the Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writing for...more
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