Product Description

September 11th changed the face of America, but it also revealed the true face of heroism. The men of the New York Fire Department fought with courage and endurance to save others. This is their story, told by a veteran firefighter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #722238 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 289 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In Report from Ground Zero Dennis Smith, a retired New York City fire-fighter, writes, "There is no centre to this day, no middle or end. All its remaining minutes and hours will be collapsed into that single instant at 8:48 am when September 11, 2001 became the saddest day of our history." Shortly after the two planes hit the World Trade Centre towers, he volunteered to help in the rescue effort. In this diary of the three months following the attack, Smith combines his own observations with interviews of those involved in the work, creating a detailed day-by-day history of the massive effort to find life among the ruins. His 18 years of experience in the field and considerable writing skills (he is the author of Report from Engine Co 82 and nine other books) make him uniquely qualified to cover these events. To say the book is moving is an understatement--it is often overwhelming and difficult to read. Report from Ground Zero exacts an emotional toll on the reader; writing it must have been heartbreaking. In chronicling the hope, courage and compassion embodied by all of the rescue workers, Smith has performed yet another service to his country.
Note: a portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will be contributed by the author to the Foundation for American Fire-fighters. --Shawn Carkonen

Review
September 11 2001 was one of those terrible, defining moments in world history that imprints itself on to the subconscious in such a way that most people will always be able to recall exactly what they were doing when they heard or saw the first reports of the planes striking the World Trade Center. Furthermore, there are those people for whom their actions at the time they heard the news became the defining moments of their lives - the firefighters who were called - or volunteered - to go to the scene and become part of the rescue effort, many of them tragically losing their lives at the scene. For most of us, it is incomprehensible that a human being would be able to put aside their fear in the face of such a terrible disaster and walk towards the heart of the inferno instead of fleeing in an attempt to save their own life. For a firefighter in the New York City Fire Department, it was inconceivable that he would not do so. Dennis Smith, dubbed 'the Poet Laureate of Firefighters' by the New York Post, is a former New York firefighter who published his classic bestseller, Report from Engine Company 82, in 1972. At the time of the terrorist attacks he was 60 and retired from active service, yet when he heard the news on September 11 he rushed to the scene and worked tirelessly alongside the rescue workers for several weeks. Among the dead were former colleagues and the sons of his friends. Perhaps because Smith is a friend and former comrade, the men who survived the tragedy were able to open up to him in a way that they would not to an outsider. The book is presented as a series of vignettes as the men - and a few women - recall their experiences on that day and during the desperate weeks that followed. He has a gift for capturing the rhythms and cadences of normal speech, yet using the juxtaposition of the accounts to present a terrible, vivid picture of exactly what it was to be there on that day amid the falling bodies and the smothering dark dust and the heat of the flames, exposed to sights most of us could not imagine in our worst nightmares. He captures the fading hopes of the relatives, and their anger when the rescue efforts were scaled down; yet most of all, he captures the unique brotherhood of the New York City Fire Department, son following father into the service for generation after generation, and conveys the enormity of the loss of 343 of their comrades. It is not a comfortable read, yet it is strangely compelling, and the main theme that shines through the book is a positive one - the power of goodness in the human spirit. A proportion of the royalties will go to the relevant charities. (Kirkus UK)

From the Back Cover
Dennis Smith has been called 'the Poet Laureate of Firefighters' by the New York Post, and when his classic bestseller REPORT FROM ENGINE COMPANY 82 was published, it was hailed not only for being superbly written, but also for being by a working fireman on the front line of a South Bronx firehouse that was the world's busiest at that time. It sold over two million copies and was translated into thirteen languages. When disaster struck in downtown Manhattan on September 11th, 2001, Dennis Smith, was among the first to arrive on the scene, and in spite of being sixty years old and long retired, he was an active participant in the doomed rescue attempts at Ground Zero for several weeks.

REPORT FROM GROUND ZERO will be his insider's account of the heroic activities of the firefighters, police and emergency workers who rushed to downtown New York to face the greatest challenge of their lives.

In all, 343 firefighters were reported missing or were identified among the dead. Entire companies were lost. Among the dead were a father and son; the department's beloved chaplain; commanders and rookies. Smith will tell their stories, the camaraderie in their companies, their families, and the massive recovery efforts that were undertaken in the days following the catastrophe.

In a time when the world is still trying to come to terms with the horror of what happened, the courage and fortitude in the face of enormous personal danger and bereavement of the firefighters and other rescue workers offers a beacon of hope, a promise of redemption. REPORT FROM GROUND ZERO will be a welcome tribute to these heroes for our troubled times.

Customer Reviews

It takes you right there and makes you part of it.
"Report from ground zero" is one of those increasingly rare pieces of work in which the reader is drawn straight in to the heart of the experience. Once begun you stay until the last page is turned; humbled, proud and very moved. It is an honest, loving account of the experiences and courage of all those men and women who lived through it and tried desperately to help.

Unrateable - Five Stars just doesn't cut it
I started reading this book after a visit to the Ground Zero memorial centre whilst on holiday in mid 2007 and I can honestly say it is one of the most riveting books I have ever read (being up until 4am because I couldn't put it down). Here Dennis Smith tells the story of the thousands of firefighters, police officers and port authority officials who responded to the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Centre. It truly is a fitting tribute to the men and women who lost their lives, and those who tried to rescue them. This book has left me chilled to the bone and weeping in many parts, it is a beautifully written and heartfelt read and will ensure that the immense tragedy that was 9/11 is never forgotten.

Hats of to Dennis Smith.