Report from Engine Co. 82 by Dennis Smith
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Book Reviews of Report from Engine Co. 82
Book Review: A GREAT FIREIFGHTING BOOK!
Summary: 5 Stars
Dennis Smith is a truly great author and firefighter. This book tells about it all! With him and his buddies of "The Big House", you will feel like you are really riding on the back of the fire engine. He explains fires the alarms, the false alarms, the firehouse, and his firehouse family with extreme detail explaining that they get about 40 alarms every day and they are truly New York's Bravest. These firefighters are heroic and brave people that risk their lives every day for people. After you read the first 50 pages you will realize why firefighters run into the burning buildings why everybody else is running out. With Smnith you will get into those boots, the coat and the helmet on Intervale Avenue, ride the fire engine to the fire and put the fire out. With him you will see friends die and see friends gain whatit truly means to be a firefighter. So read this book and you'll never put it down becuase I've read it twice and I am going to read it again. This is a classic book and a book that you can't put down!Book Review: A good look back
Summary: 5 Stars
During the tumultuous period of the 60s when author Dennis Smith wrote Report From Engine Company 82, the book was a cry for help from exhausted, frustrated men. Men who cleaned up in the aftermath of other exhausted and frustrated inhabitants of a society stretched to the breaking point.
As I type this, a younger firefighter in a comfortable, air-conditioned fire station among a population that by-and-large respects my profession, it's easy to forget the sacrifice of our past brothers who unceasingly fought fires, city hall and the population they served, until they had forged the modern fire service.
It's an important book for new firefighters to learn how the iron men of old did the job. And for the general reader it's a testament to both a volatile period in our nation's history, and to the timeless strength and courage by which good men have always worked to keep back the chaos of barbarism and destruction.
Book Review: A Moving, Lyrical Look At New York's Bravest
Summary: 5 Stars
I understand why Dennis Smith is known as the "Poet Laureate" of the New York (City) Fire Department. His literary debut, "Report From Engine Company 82", truly is one of the most exceptional memoirs I've read, replete with his honesty, conviction, and determination to succeed as a fireman in - what was true in 1972 - the city's busiest fire station. Undoubtedly much of what he wrote back then rings true to the countless thousands of firemen who fight fire heroically in major American cities such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and of course, New York. It is also blessed with some of the finest memoir writing I've come across, graced with ample lyrical prose; only his recent "A Song For Mary" and Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" surpass it. Anyone who wishes to understand the lives of urban American firemen should read this elegant, slender tome.Book Review: An outstanding look at the career of firefighting
Summary: 5 Stars
This book, when I first read it in the 70's as a kid, cemented my desire to be a firefighter. It went past the gleaming paint and chrome and really showed me the grit of the job; that it wasn't always the glorious one I had envisioned but more of a thankless one. Dennis Smith's vivid imagery makes you feel like you're in the battle right there with his company. It also shows the toll that firefighting takes on it's participants, the physical as well as the emotional scars the job leaves. Smith takes you through his personal life, discussing his humble childhood and the effect his career has on his adult life.All in all, a wonderful story that grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let go until the last page.
Book Review: My Perspective on "Report from Engine Co. 82"
Summary: 5 Stars
I spent 10 years in the fire service in both engine and truck companys. While I have many memories and stories to tell, the author, Dennis Smith, sums up the life of a fire fighter in an urban environment about as well as can be possibly told. Trying to balance the unpleasantries and sadness against the satisfaction of saving a life or helping a family overcome one of life's most agonizing moments is very well portrayed in this book. This is what a fire fighter's life is about folks. There is no other book that I can remember that tells it any better than this. If you're thinking of a career in a big city fire department or for that matter, if you're even thinking of becoming a volunteer fire fighter this book is a must!