Rating: 
Summary: This book turned a very intresting story into a boring one.
Review: i realize that this book all takes place in a day, but the endless detail bored me. seemed like it keept going on and on. this book needed to be shorter......
Rating:
Summary: And "The Truth" Will Set You Free
Review: I read this book back when it first came out. I had worked as a relief volunteer on and off for two months out of the last twelve in NYC at or near Ground Zero. Yes, this book painted the horrific reality of Sept 11, 2001 accurately. Yes, the book was dramatic, and I read it in two days. But was Richard Picciotto's story true? Was it accurate? Was this what really happened in that stairwell? I've met the men who were there in that stairwell with him on Sept 11 and I've heard their side of the story, and Picciotto's version is not accurate or truthful. On Nov 26, 2002 the NY Daily News reported that in fact the story retold in "Last Man Down" by Richard Picciotto was not accurate. Let's give the credit where credit is due...to God, the men of Ladder 6, and to Josephine, the woman who was rescued.
Rating: 
Summary: AN AMAZING STORY
Review: I am not a big reader. I was given this book by a friend and told that it was the most amazing book he had ever read. Well let me tell you, this non reader read this book in one night. IT was terrifying going through the emotions that this man went through that day with him. I felt as if i too were experinceing everything that he had on that horrible day.
I have read what others have written on this website about this book and i disagree with some completly. This bbok to me was written by an honest man just trying to show what HE thought. In no way did he ever take away credit of anyone.The person that he gave the least credit was himself. I actually think he gave ladder 6 alot of credit.
Thank you for writing this book. I will pass it on to all those i hold dear so that they too can understand the courage and honor that firemen have. I hope that you have a great life and career but if you truly are done i hope that you realize just how high the world holds you and your brothers.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-congratulatory ode mixed with you-are-there coverage
Review: I wanted to like this book, truly I did. The writer IS a hero, of course. But the tone of the book is so often what he did correctly, and by insinuation what his colleagues did incorrectly that horrible day. Things like "At this point we all did what we needed to do. At least I did." Plenty of damning with faint praise. On the flip side, the you-are-there description of the pre-collapse evacuation of the tower is spellbinding. Picciotto never falls into the trap of becoming maudlin: This tragedy to top all tragedies needs nothing to make it more compelling and heartbreaking; some authors on the subject feel the need to over-dramatize (as if that is possible) but he is clear about writing the facts and trying to describe the atmosphere. But, for instance, he heard someone in the rubble wailing about his dog and would someone please take care of his dog and he finally had the 'need' to shu the man up because, after all, he had a wife and family to worry about, you wonder about his lack of sensitivity and whether the ghost writer meant for that tone to come across.
Rating:
Summary: For anyone who wonders what is was like inside the WTC
Review: Reading this book made me homesick. I grew up in NYC, I remember hearing the sirens, and watching the firetrucks racing down the streets at all hours.
While reading his words, I just kept thinking...he sounds like a typical blue collar New Yorker, brash, abrasive even, but with an indominable spirit with a fierce loyalty. Some here have called him arrogant, I would disagree. You have to be a type A personality to do what he did for a living, humble just does not save lives in the type of situations Firefighters and Rescue workers usually find themselves.
He admitts many times being a thorn, and bucking the system, but he clearly loved his job. Does that make him a hero....Yes, because he lived with fear and still did what had to be done. As for his complaints about the brass, I lived in NY when they started cutting back, and know he stated the truth. The fact that firefighters had been complaining about the same things for years and no one listened. Read this book and if you can still see your local firefighters and rescue workers as you did before 9/11...then there who is the arrogant one? I also recommend reading Women At Ground Zero:
Stories of Courage and Compassion
Rating: 
Summary: It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
Review: FDNY Battalion Commander Richard Picciotto was in the North World Trade tower when it collapsed. He tells of his rescue of civilians (some unwilling) that day, the mind-crushing horror of the collapse, and his rescue of his fellow survivors out of the debris field. Co-writer Daniel Paisner visibly smooths the New Yorkisms out of Chief Pitch's story: one can almost see the deleted "am I right?" and fuhgeddaboudits in this brave blue collar man's tale. Picciotto levels criticism at pinch-penny administrators here and there, but never whines. A great personal account deserving its share of the mountain of plaudits the FDNY has received since 9-11.
Rating:
Summary: The Bravest, Strongest, Smartest Man In The FDNY...
Review: ...as is pointed out to the reader repeatedly and heavyhandedly throughout this coarsely written self-tribute. The Chief's courage is beyond question, but his lack of humility combined with his insensitivity makes this a tough tale to swallow. The Chief may indeed be brave, strong and smart -- but he sure ain't humble.
Rating: 
Summary: this is the stuff heroes are made of
Review: Acting out of their own sense of duty, this man and his comrades
gave us something precious, helping us cope with the memories
of a senseless act of violence. He and his brothers in arms
showed the world that heroes still exist in the 21th century,
and not just in books and movies of old.
They acted, they saved lives, they died for that. Talk about
giving meaning to one's life....
Rating:
Summary: Buried Under Words
Review: I don't want to take anything away from this man's accomplishments, which were heroic...
but if he talks like he writes, it must have been hell to be buried in the rubble with him.
Rating:
Summary: Appreciation
Review: As a freshman at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to hear Richard Picciotto speak at our college on September 11 of this year. He spoke about his experiences in ground zero and stayed for nearly two hours afterwards signing books and talking to students. He is an amazing, inspirational man- and yes, no less than a hero. His experience made me grateful for men such as himself, and my father, who is an assistant fire chief in our hometown, for the work they do every day. Having the privilege of meeting Mr. Picciotto has been one of the most meaningful experiences I've ever had, and this book follows very closely with the speech he delivers. Just add the New York accent.
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