STRONG OF HEART: Life and Death in New York City's Fire Department

This autobiography by the former fire commissioner of New York City opens with a harrowing description of September 11: he conveys a visceral sense of the smoke and ash, the chaos and tumult, as well as his own shifting state of mind (confidence to doubt, confusion, pain). As Von Essen notes, people on the scene knew less of what was going on than the rest of us at home watching events on TV. He gives moving portraits of the fire department heads who died in the towers—Chief Peter Ganci, chaplain Father Mychal Judge—and makes clear that he only survived because he'd been called away to meet with Mayor Giuliani when the towers crashed. Equally powerful are Von Essen's descriptions of other tragic fires during his terms as fire commissioner: he demonstrates that bravery in the FDNY is an almost daily occurrence. Recollections of Von Essen's personal life—his happy childhood, his on-again, off-again romance with the woman who eventually became his wife, his educational floundering—are less compelling than his depiction of day-to-day life in a firehouse, with the joshing, the camaraderie, the drama and terror of fire fighting. Unfortunately, he also makes it clear that not all the particulars of firehouse life are admirable—the insularity, the homophobia—but Von Essen's love for his work and for his fellow firefighters shines on every page. Anyone who wants to understand the mindset of a firefighter—the passion for work, the brotherly devotion and the courage—will learn much from this homely account. 16-page color insert, b&w photos throughout. (Aug.)