Fighting Fire [Hardcover]

Caroline Paul (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

One of the first women in the San Francisco Fire Department writes about what it's like to be a firefighter--the daily routine in the firehouse; the danger and thrills of risking her life fighting this elemental force--and tells readers what life is like for a woman in what has traditionally been a man's world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-When Paul graduated from Stanford, her degree in journalism and her application to graduate school seemed to indicate a career path other than the one she actually took. On the spur of a moment, she decided to apply for a position as a firefighter and go through the testing and training required, planning to use the firsthand information as material she could talk and write about. She then chose on firefighting as a career. Her journalistic training results in a readable writing style that's filled with description and action. Important moments become alive with emotion and clearly defined details; the dangers inherent in the job, as well as the courage and bravery and physical and mental strength are all in evidence. The author is quick to point out the many difficulties about being a female firefighter, along with the positive aspects. Not only must she continually prove to her coworkers that she can indeed do the job well; she must also prove it to herself. Her easy-to-read narrative that's filled with real action and true situations should appeal to young adults. Paul presents herself and all firefighters, male or female, as dedicated professionals who put their lives on the line everyday.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Paul intended to enroll in film school after getting her degree from Stanford University in 1986; that is, after she competed in the U.S. Nationals as a member of the women's luge team and after trying to run the Boh River in Borneo. Instead, she was recruited to join the San Francisco Fire Department. She passed the written and physical exams but delayed joining until 1988. This is her story of learning to adapt to a different way of life, with its own rules, traditions, and language. And, as Paul describes it, she followed a rocky road to being accepted by the men in the various fire houses in which she worked along the way. Some of them were not at all reticent about expressing displeasure or outright hostility toward her as a rookie but particularly as a woman. Yet she demonstrated that she was capable of doing any task she was assigned. This is a rare, fascinating look at the inner workings of an urban fire department, with plenty of thrills, adventure, and raw emotion. Between the quality of Paul's writing and the subject matter, her book will keep readers on edge until the very last page. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.ALisa S. Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312185812
• ISBN-13: 978-0312185817
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,135,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL READ FOR EVERYONE, October 21, 2000

By 

Anne Bonnie (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighting Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

Caroline Paul started life out as a privileged yuppie hopeful. She attended a posh boarding school and then Stanford University. She graduated with the hopes of a distinguished journalism career. Instead, she became a firefighter. FIGHTING FIRE is a riveting story of learning to adapt to a different way of life, with its own rules and traditions. There are burning building and singed bodies - I shed plenty of tears reading this book - but this is not only an adventure book. This is a deeply moving story of how people learn in the end to get along - in the firehouse and on the streets. This book is not a whiny monologue about a Poor Me woman in a man's world. Ms. Paul has a generous, humorous perspective about the people she meets and she is always willing to concede her foibles. It is a thrilling yet insightful read. Both my husband and my local librarian (neither one firefighters!) loved it - Fighting Fire has something for everyone.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BOOK FOR EVERYONE, June 11, 2000

By 

Becky - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighting Fire (Hardcover)

As a female fire fighter I thought this book was one of the best books I have ever read. It shows the true facts that women in the service have to go through. I thought she used a really good imagery in the book making you feel that you were on the call. This is a good book for fire fighter men and female and for people whoare not fire fighters but like the adrenaline rush of an action book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wow wow WOW, November 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fighting Fire (Hardcover)

I did not expect to like this book but it was thrust into my hands by a friend who demanded: Read this. I dreaded a long technical discourse on fire trucks and the mechanics of fire but i instead got an eminently readable book about how a young woman matures under trying but exciting circumstances. Caroline Paul is in the beginning a likeable but arrogant, affluent preppie who, fearing the inevitable "trajectory" her life is taking towards a corporate desk job, falls into the blue collar world of firefighting. There she learns that life is much more complicated - and more poignant - than she had ever imagined. We follow her as she sees her first dead body, understands for the first time in her life what it is to be an "outsider" (and rather philosophically claims that it is good for her!), and goes into the deep, hot, black of a fire building. I cried when the babies died, laughed as the firehouse culture leapt from the page, and in the end rooted for the narrator to come to terms with herself. I stayed up all night reading it and I recommend it (with a loud guffaw and a hearty slap on the back)to all non-firefighters!