The Usual, John Finucane, 2008

Not very long ago, the Bronx was burning. Day after day, night after night, firefighters responded to vacant and occupied five and six story apartment buildings, rows of attached wood-frame houses, single story commercial buildings, and anything else that greedy and unscrupulous arsonists could set on fire.

Taking in up to 1,000 runs in a month, these men waged a desperate fight to save life and property with limited resources and manpower, putting their lives on the line to maintain some degree of order during one of our nation's most chaotic and destructive periods. It was unprecedented. It was exceptional. It was . . . The Usual.

John Finucane (author of When The Bronx Burned) had just finished probation when he was thrown into the inferno that was New York City's Bronx ghetto during these "War Years." In The Usual, he takes the reader through his own education as a firefighter, from the new guy in the firehouse to an experienced senior man on the line.

With sharp and vivid detail, he brings us into the flames, down hallways of superheated black smoke and fire, and onto the hazardous roofs, recounting his experiences working on some of the busiest engine and ladder companies in the Bronx. He also welcomes us into the firehouse, showing us the ruined meals, the practical jokes, and the sorrow of loss that forged a bond of brotherhood among these courageous firefighters that carried them through these trying times.

The Usual is the story of a young firefighter's journey to become the best firefighter he could be during one of the busiest times in our nation's firefighting history. Whether youre a new reader with no exposure to the "War Years" or a veteran firefighter with memories and tales of your own, you'll find something to connect with in these stories.

You'll find what a few brave firefighters can do when pushed to the extreme. You'll find how these men brought courage and hope to a time and a place that was short on both. And you'll find that The Usual is anything but.

6" x 9 1/4", 208 pages, ISBN: 978-1-879848-41-2, hardcover, BU8780 / $24.95

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