- Hardcover: 182 pages
- Publisher: Algonquin Books (Dec 4 1993)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1565120094
- ISBN-13: 978-1565120099
- Product Dimensions: 22.1 x 13.2 x 2.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 336 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#2,448,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #59 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Sociologists
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
This memorable collection of short essays, some of them merely fragments, is the first venture into nonfiction by fireman turned novelist Brown ( Dirty Work ). After 17 years as a firefighter in Oxford, Miss., home of the state university and William Faulkner, Brown devoted himself to full-time writing, which had been an avocation for 10 years. Most of his observations here are about fighting fires, the camaraderie among those who perform this service, the tragedies and the miracles they encounter. But there are other pieces, some humorous, others poignant, on Brown's family, on hunting and fishing, on his pets and his attempts to raise rabbits for the market. 25,000 first printing; $25,000 ad/ promo; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Brown, author of the award-winning working-class novel Joe (1991), here gives nonfiction a try with a memoir of his fire-fighting days in his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi. Most of a firefighter's 24-hour day is spent killing time: cooking, watching dirty movies, doing routine equipment maintenance, and sleeping; Brown catches the lazy, good-old-boy camaraderie of the firehouse perfectly. With somewhat less success, he also reflects on how he spends his 48 hours off--fishing, drinking, hunting, and playing with his kids. Such tales are charming but sound a minor key when placed alongside the account of a fire at Ole Miss' law school, in which Brown captures precisely the adrenaline rush, fear, and exhaustion beyond reasoning that a big fire evokes in firefighters. Brown's compassionate rendering of ambulance runs, where he uses the hydraulic Hurst tool to break through smashed vehicles and reach trapped victims, is the best writing here, however. Brown portrays himself modestly, not as a hero risking his life, but simply as a professional with a job to do. Brown's work schedule is too loose a means of organization, but his individual essays are witty, reverent, and moving. John Mort
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
I love what I do with my hands and with the hose. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I love what I do with my hands and with the hose. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing and Grievously Boring!,
By A Customer
This review is from: On Fire (Paperback)
I thought this author would share his experiences of life as a firefighter; I thought wrong. He shares more about his dog not being able to produce puppies than he does about the various accidents and fires he has been a part of. I was shocked by how much he digresses, over and over again he talks about animals which have absolutely nothing to do with firefighting or even his life! The author has written a book that will put the most astute reader to sleep. I wish it had been a bit more interesting, but alas, it was not.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Notes from the Firehouse in Oxford, Mississippi,
By
This review is from: On Fire (Paperback)
I did not know of Larry Brown until I saw the film "Big Bad Love," based on one of his stories. I wasn't crazy about the film but was fascinated by the imagination it emerged from, and gave one of his books a try. For starters, I read his memoir "On Fire," about his years as an Oxford, Mississippi, fireman. I thought it would be about fighting fires, responding to emergencies, and what goes on in the firehouse in between. I expected some reflection on the world of firemen, which I understand to be a social order of its own, like policemen.There is all of that and considerably more in this wonderful collection of short essays, many of them dashed off during those off hours in the firehouse, often recounting an experience Brown and his compatriots just had, rescuing someone trapped in a smashed car, putting out a fire, or just screwing around. You learn something of the process of firefighting as Brown reconstructs the events of several fires, including one in the top floor of a building at Ole Miss. He explains how they use the Jaws of Life. You learn about the daily routines of checking equipment for readiness, as well as continual training in CPR and different kinds of fires. But much in the book is unexpected. There are pieces about dogs, hunting, lost kittens, cookouts, practical jokes, watching hawks, petty thefts, driving, drinking beer, and S and V on HBO. Essays that will stay in my memory include his account of a trip to New York to appear on the Today show when one of his books is published and learning while he's there that his wife and son have been hurt in a car accident, then discovering when he finds out they are OK that his dog Sam has died. The mental image of him crying in the airport is vivid and moving. On a more hilarious note is an account of a long day's drive to a training exercise in the Delta, where they arrive late and drunk. On a more literary note, there's his account of setting up a hose to provide fake rain for a documentary film at William Faulkner's home, just down the road from the firehouse. His reflections on Faulkner sitting in the house and writing novels are full of awe and respect for a giant of letters, a giant who had a cup of coffee every night at a local restaurant where he always left a dime tip for the waitress. If you've read or you're thinking of reading Brown's fiction, I recommend this book. It's a wonderful introduction to the man and his world, and you get a sense of the raw material that feeds his imagination.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Waste of Time,
By Tom Rothmich (Chicago, Ill.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: On Fire (Paperback)
I don't know how this book ever got published. It was a rudderless account of unrelated stories about nothing. Many stories revolved around actions you probably warned your kids never to try... and Mr. Brown seemed to be pretty proud of that.
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