The Fireman's Wife: A Memoir [Hardcover]

Susan E. Farren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2006

Susan Farren didn+t plan on marrying a fireman. Having herself spent several years as a paramedic, she knew too well the dangers of the emergency profession. But as fate would have it, she met Dan-and everything changed.Suddenly she was married to a man who had wanted to be a fireman ever since he was a child, and she found herself faced with the sacrifices and struggles that accompany this challenging career. Being a fireman+s wife meant relocating her family, living without her husband for days at a time, and wondering every time she heard a siren if he would make it home safely. Ultimately, it also meant receiving the phone call every fireman+s wife fears may come: the news that her husband had been in an accident.Susan speaks on behalf of thousands of firemen+s wives nationwide-the women who hold down the fort while their husbands are on the job. Their sacrifice is our gain, and for the first time, this book tells their story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Farren shares with readers the pride, fear and resentment that make up her "abnormal" life next to her husband, Dan, engaged full-time in the Petaluma, Calif., fire department, 50 miles north of San Francisco. Unlike his Irish ancestors, on whom the dangerous, low-ladder jobs of policeman and fireman fell by default, Dan has craved the daily danger and heroism of fire fighting since childhood. Farren recounts Dan's initial acceptance as a recruit after a grueling series of trials and his eventual assimilation into a fiercely loyal brotherhood that would see him through the births of his five children and a devastating accident that nearly ended his active career. Farren ably takes readers through the stress of calls on her husband, ending either in a valiant "save" by the force or a depressing loss of life; she recalls the galvanizing effects of 9/11 in bringing the community of firefighters together. Moreover, she writes of her own career transition, from paramedic to full-time mom and "shivering ball of nerves" whose status as a fireman's wife did not exempt her from distractedly courting disaster or calling 911 when she heard a noise in the house. Although short on fire-fighting history and containing awkward shifts in POV to narrate the action, Farren's memoir proves an elucidating journey. (Mar.)
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About the Author

Susan Farren is a former paramedic who transitioned out of a full-time career to be a stay-at-home wife and mother of five. An inspirational speaker, she lives with her family in Northern California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (March 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301738
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301736
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #646,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fireman's Wife, March 15, 2006

By 

Firefighter's wife (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fireman's Wife: A Memoir (Hardcover)

I am a fireman's wife and for the first time in 10 years, I understand that I am not alone with my feelings. This book allowed me to cry, laugh and nod my head as Susan explained the trials and tribulations of being a part of the firefighter family. Thank you to Susan for honoring our husbands for the important job they do and for their wives who sacrifice so much to enable our husbands to be there for our communities in their time of need. I recommend this easy-to-read, heartfelt memoir to all friends and families of safety personnel.-You don't have to feel alone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to emergency services literature., April 13, 2006

By 

F Claridge "frdclar" (Modesto, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fireman's Wife: A Memoir (Hardcover)

As a former paramedic, I've read just about every memoir written by people involved in emergency services. Some obviously aren't written with much honesty so it's really refreshing when an author like Susan Farren tells her story with so much candor and respect for both her subject and her audience. I highly recommend this book. The life she describes with her firefighter/paramedic husband Dan and their children is at once accessible and at the same time extraordinary. Her description of her husband's injury at a fire and his recovery and the associated challenges faced by the family is a testament to their courage and devotion to their "calling." I'm looking forward to her next book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm "the fireman's kid" - this was my story too!, April 15, 2006

By 

Amiee L. Albertson (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fireman's Wife: A Memoir (Hardcover)

Susan Farren wrote an amazing, detailed, funny, heartfelt description of a fireman's family. As the daughter of a fireman, I remember visits to the station, crawling on the engines and trucks,dad being gone on "OT", and how much he looked forward to his 4-days, so we could all spend time together. Seeing the life of a fireman's wife described so well makes me appreciate so much more what my own mom went through when I was little.