Thoughts on Fire: Life Lessons of a Volunteer Firefighter [Hardcover]

Dr. Frank McCluskey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2004

They can walk through fire. They would sacrifice their own lives to save yours.

In the tradition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Thoughts on Fire is a meditation on how to live a life that matters. Drawing on his dual life as a philosophy professor and firefighter, "Dr. Frank" begins a journey not just into the fire, but inside himself. The lessons of this voyage are not just about axes and hoses but hope, forgiveness and love.

"As a professor and a firefighter, Dr. McCluskey shifts gears easily between the metaphysical and the macho, pontificating in a pin striped suit by day and plunging into a smoky, flaming house by night."

-The New York Times

"It is a book that you will want to read again and again. It is a remarkable story that you will want to share with those you love."

-Dr. Robert Schachat, author of The Seven Conditions of Trust

"Thoughts on Fire is a book that is at once entertaining and enlightening"

-Dr. John Briggs, author of The Seven Life Lessons of Chaos

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse Star (January 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595757901
• ISBN-13: 978-0595757909
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,576,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cerebral tales of firefighting, February 20, 2011

By 

R. T. Lull "Teapot" (Waco, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thoughts on Fire: Life Lessons of a Volunteer Firefighter (Hardcover)

Most of the time, when you see "Doctor" appended to a firefighter's name, you assume that he took his EMT certification all the way through to an actual medical practice. Doc McCluskey, however, is a Doctor of Philosophy, and presents a unique perspective on the experiences of a volunteer firefighter. From his early attempts simply to fit in and not be discovered as an academic among working men, through to the twilight of his active career as a department officer, his tales of his experiences are well told, and present learning situations of all sorts. Some people may have to get past his philosophical analysis of some situations, but I found that he had a great ability to set up a story, with details when they mattered, and vagaries when they didn't. I especially appreciated the colorful cast of characters that he recalled with fondness and detail, while admitting in the prologue that he left out many more in the interest of simplicity. I am currently a rookie volunteer, and found his early insights especially valuable (and eerily similar to some of my own); I look forward to re-reading this book in a few years and seeing how much more I can learn from him then.