Rating: 
Summary: OK, there were other guys there too.
Review: I am a paid firefighter with friends on the FDNY. First off, I am astounded that the chief managed to accomplish what he did, all by himself! Either the men he was "leading " were totaly incapacitated, or he has the biggest ego in the department! What were the men of Ladder 6 doing while this chief was "saving" them? Not being aggresive? Not being good firefighters? This chief "saved" the whole company! I wonder what the men from Ladder 6 have to say. I have been a firefighter for 26 years. I can tell you now that with this book, this chief just alienated himself from the rest of the brothers. I would not recomend this book to anyone, unless you are a young fire officer and want to learn what NOT to do and say about the men you lead and who does 99% of the work on a fire department.
Rating: 
Summary: Brother Survivor
Review: Last Man Down is a clear, nerve-wracking, compelling personal account of one professional's experience on Sept 11. It is story of a midtown Battalion Fire Chief, who leads with courage and experience on that horrible day. What make it great is that it covers the detailed technical aspects of rescue work in high-rise disasters, as well as the personal account of a victim of terrorism, it works on both levels. The description of the day is clear and so well described, it will help people who were not there to better understand how so many people were saved that day. I know. I was in the North Tower on Sept 11, on the 40th floor when the first plane hit. As I went down the stairs, stairwell A or C, (I'm still not sure which), it was exactly the scene the Picciotto laid out. We did not see firefighters until I was down to the 20's, so I am sure that I saw some of the companies described in the book. Reading the book helped me understand better what they were doing and why. As we were going down, when we saw those men, with all that gear going up those stairs with such persistence, some part of me knew that we would survive. They helped us out of Hell itself. I knew then what real heroes are, Picciotto and his brothers have set the bar, and they've set it high. I remember that on one of the landings near the teens there was one fire fighter, he was a big guy, 6'3" 250lbs, standing, calm but breathing hard. He was in full turnout gear with oxygen on his back, his helmet cocked back on his head. Our eyes met, he had clear blue eyes and a thick blond moustache. I said good luck and really meant it. And he just nodded clearly confident, knowing he was doing his job, saving people. Picciotto helps us all remember that strength and courage. His account doesn't pull any punches, or mask things over to romanticize what went on. I respect his criticism of the FDNY, he is taking his celebrity, and using it powerfully. I hope people listen, especially the politicians. You need to give them the tools they need to do the jobs we expect of them. You'll do well to support the rescue workers we must have to live the lives we have chosen. Read the book. The FDNY deserves it. Picciotto deserves it. Thanks Pitch. I hope that you've been able to work through the aftermath with the leadership and courage you had on that day. For me the weeks following were much harder than the day itself. I'll see you at the big one.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenching story of rescue,dedication, courage
Review: This is a riveting book, offering a glimpse into the world of firemen and rescue workers and into the unthinkable disaster of the World Trade Center attacks. A heart-wrenching, beautifully conceived and beautifully related account of a dedicated fireman who dove into the center of it all on September 11 and miraculously survived.
Rating:
Summary: Last man down
Review: this book was excellent,could not put it down,pitch you are my hero no wait the FDNY is.the situations he and his men went through were --- no words could describe it this was the best book i have read on the sept 11 attacks,i was a firefighter and have a brother who is still on,the way the whole fire dept is described is true, this hit home, a must read if you get a chance thank your local firefighter
for the hard work he or she dose for us
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Story Cut Short
Review: This book is riveting, as far as it goes. I could barely put it down, but then I had to, because unfortunately, it runs out of rivets. "Last Man Down" is a scintillating description of one fire chief's story of survival in the World Trade Center collapse. I learned of the book when I saw Chief Picciotto interviewed on "Imus in the Morning" on MSNBC. I immediately ordered the book through Amazon.com. As I expected, having heard this man's story, I found the book to be gripping, technically very detailed, one that leaves you awe-struck. Then, it leaves you. The book effectively ends with the Chief in the hospital. It says nothing of what happened afterwards. I wanted to know what came of the others spoken of in the book, those who were trapped in the stairwell with him. I was looking for stories of finding these brave souls weeks later, and recounting their adventure and aftermath. Did he attend the funeral of the other Chief who couldn't hold on and perished in the stairwell? We don't know, and the human interest portion of this story is easily as important of the technical details of the rescue. Humanity is what made "Band of Brothers" truly great, and it's missing in "Last Man Down." I don't know why it ended there, whether it was publishing deadlines, a lack of editorial insight, or if there is some thought of a sequel. But what was a very intense few hours of reading didn't pay off. I suppose it parallels his story, in that once he emerged from the rubble, he expected more of a hero's welcome, but didn't get it. Perhaps, like the survivors who were too shell-shocked to celebrate his escape, he couldn't process anything more. I hope that we will hear the rest of the story someday.
Rating:
Summary: Different Perspective
Review: Chief Picciotto gives us a new perspective with his account of being in the WTC, up in the towers as everything turned horribly wrong. More than just an account of what happened on September 11, it also gives an insight into the mind of a high ranking officer in the FDNY about firefighting as a whole and some ideas about the FDNY as a whole. I welcomed much of the commentary on the way things were/are being done within the FDNY, mostly because of my dealings with them on a day to day basis. I think this is a good read for anyone who wants to see not only into the events of September 11 by someone who was below Ground Zero, but for those looking for a good fire service related book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Mind Blowing Book
Review: The Book Is A Wounderful peice of work by FDNY Battalion 11 Chief
who tells the story from the begining of a his day at the fire house to the day he escaped the world trade center. The book is so well writen you can actualy see the story he wrote. I give this book 5+++++++ stars for this Great Noval
Rating: 
Summary: A view different from the rest...
Review: Let me start out by saying I am a former firefighter/EMT, and i have nothing but the best things to say generally about the fine men and women serving at FDNY. This is a story that needed to be told, but that being said, I do not believe Chief Picciotto is the man to tell it. This book is full of hero-worship attitudes and contradictions. The Chief goes into detail about the "military" attitude at FDNY, and how his orders are to be obeyed without questions, yet he is the man who left his division leaderless at a critical moment by racing downtown, and at the same time refusing to let any of his men accompany him, even if they were off-duty. While taking pot shots at the upper-FDNY management, the Chief comes across as a bitter firefighter, and just adds to the "hero-worship" attitude of the book. The book is well written, however, and i think civilians (non-firefighters) will find it engrossing, as the detail leads you along with him in his ordeal. I also believe that the firefighters out there will recognize this book for what it really is: a propaganda tool, putting the best face on a series of bad decisions, placing blame on the blameless, and attempting to elevate the Chiefs' reputation.
Rating:
Summary: Best view of what happened at 9/11
Review: I just finished reading Chief Picciotto's book "Last Man Down" and I couldn't wait to give it to a friend to read so we could talk about it. The story is compelling. It's like a live fairy tale. Incredible to believe it could happen, and even more so that 13 people could live to tell the story. I've been to a lot of the museums and exhibitions of 9/11 pictures and videos. I watched the Robert DeNiro TV movie. This book is a more vivid and moving story of the 9/11 devastation than anything else I have seen or heard.
Rating:
Summary: A story about the WTC collapse as seen from its 7th floor.
Review: I had seen Chief Picciotto and heard parts of his amazing story on TV last September but nothing takes the place of reading the details of his 9-11, in his own words.
His description of being in a stairwell on the 35th floor of the North tower when the South tower started to collapse will bring tears to your eyes. The recounting of his controversial decision to evacuate the rescue workers that were still climbing up the stairs of the North tower was compelling and probably saved the lives of hundreds of fire fighters. Reading his description of the collapse of the North tower while he was still on its 7th floor is almost as indescribable as the sounds he was hearing. And then his description of trying to figure out if he was dead or alive ("maybe this is what it feels like to be dead") are just some of the highlights that come to mind. But after all is said and done, it's the "diary" of his entire day, in story form, from the senior FDNY officer in the upper floors of the North tower, that puts you in the tower, with he and his men, in one of the most horrible, unimaginable situations the civilized world has ever experienced.
What made the story even more real for me is that the book covers about 12 hours of Picciotto's day and took me about 12 hours to read, making it appear as a "real time" account of this piece of 9-11 history.
|
